Student Loan Blog

Even as the recession has depressed consumer prices and the cost of living has fallen over the last year, college tuition rose in 2009, with the largest percentage increases coming at community colleges and public four-year schools — the mounting expense of an education revealed in the College Board’s latest reports on financial aid and the ...

Vice President Joe Biden intends to make higher education a reality for more young people, the Associated Press reports, in part by closing the gap between families’ incomes and rising college costs (“Biden Wants to Make Higher Ed More Affordable,” USA Today, April 18, 2009). At a town hall–style meeting he hosted in St. Louis ...

According to analysis of Department of Education data released last week, the number of college students taking out private student loans over the last five years has risen sharply. Analysis by student advocacy group The Project on Student Debt revealed that the percentage of all undergraduates who took out private student loans last school ...

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter recently announced his refusal to eliminate $300 million in funding for Colorado public colleges and universities to ensure that that the state’s schools remain qualified for $760 million in federal stimulus money, The Denver Post reports (“Ritter Rejects Cuts to Colleges,” April 14, ...

Although school administrators across the nation are reporting an increase in applications, they’re worried about just how many college students will actually enroll in their institutions this fall as families continue to tighten their budgets amid this recession, reports Inside Higher Ed (“Parents’ View of the Economy,” ...

In order to reach a more diverse population of learners, several institutions are offering full college course content delivered via a user’s cell phone, reports UniversityBusiness.com (“Cellular Colleges: The Next Small Thing,” February 2009). “Cellular” courses will be similar to their online counterparts and will include ...

At a time when parents and students are finding it increasingly challenging to get the money they need for college, some schools are coming up with creative options to cut thousands of dollars off annual tuition bills, The Boston Globe reports (“Students Forgo Frills to Save Thousands,” Feb. 3, 2009). Offering savings of up to ...

Arizona’s three state universities are considering making drastic budget cuts, including shutting down campuses and eliminating degree programs, as the colleges face a 30-percent reduction in state aid — a projected loss of more than $300 million for all three public universities. Proposed budget cuts to the state’s university system come as ...

As jobs continue to disappear and unemployment soars, large numbers of adult learners may soon be enrolling in online programs, particularly at two-year colleges and for-profit institutions, according to a new online education survey (“Recession May Drive More Adult Students to Take Online Courses,” The Chronicle of Higher ...

Despite New York’s $15 billion budget deficit, Gov. David Paterson announced he is creating a student loan program that would allow New York college students to borrow $350 million in low-cost private student loans directly from the state, reports The New York Times (“Governor to Unveil a Low-Cost Student Loan Program,” Dec. 15, 2008). State ...