Student Loan Blog

Without additional taxpayer funds next year, the government’s “most important” federal financial aid program may be unable to provide Pell Grants to millions of eligible low-income students, likely pricing these students out of a higher education, according to an article in The New York Times (“Pell Grants Said to Face a Shortfall,” Sept. ...

In an audit of the Department of Education, the department’s own inspector general blames the lack of participation in the government’s Academic Competitiveness and National Smart Grant programs on his department’s failure to effectively promote the programs, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (“Education Dept. Blamed for ...

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is considering restructuring the state’s financial aid programs amid growing concerns about college affordability. Proposed changes would raise the academic standards students must meet to qualify for the Texas Grant program, which helps low-income students pay for college, and would merge two of ...

Berea College is drawing the attention of lawmakers for its no-frills approach to education and its free tuition policy. The private Kentucky college — founded 150 years ago to educate freed slaves and “poor white mountaineers” — accepts only applicants from low-income families and charges no tuition, according to an article in The New York ...

Although Massachusetts is known as a hub for higher education, the state lags behind other states in awarding financial aid to college students, a shortfall that many educators say is limiting access to a college education for low-income and minority families, according to an article in The Boston Globe (“State Lags on Student Grants,” July ...

Students who are eligible for a new scholarship program at Houston Community College could have up to two years of their college education paid for. To qualify for the scholarship program, students must be eligible to receive a Pell Grant, a form of federal financial aid that is offered to some of the nation’s most financially-needy students. ...

In an effort to prevent young teachers from leaving the state for higher-paying jobs, the Montana legislature is helping 100 of the state’s educators pay back their student loans (“100 Lucky MT Teachers Having Loans Paid Off,” June 27, 2008). Through the state’s Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program the teachers selected for the program ...

To ensure all students have access to student loans regardless of what type of school they attend, two Democratic senators introduced legislation Tuesday that would prohibit banks and other lenders from “picking and choosing” which institutions of higher education they do business with, according to a New York Times article (“Bill Promotes ...

As part of a College Board pilot program nearly 30 colleges and universities will be allowed to buy the names and personal information of low-income high school students — a data set that has been off limits since the early 1980s, according to the Chicago Tribune (“Colleges Recruit Low-Income Students,” May 24, 2008).The College Board currently ...

To help low-income students attend college, larger Pell Grants should be awarded to the most “financially needy” college students, according to a new report (“Window of Opportunity: Targeting Federal Grant Aid to Students With the Lowest Incomes”).In the report, researchers from the Institute For Higher Education Policy urged lawmakers to increase ...