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Students Protest Education Cuts
The UCSD Guardian - January 18, 2007

More than one thousand students, mobilized by Students for California's Futuremarched in Sacramento on April 21stto protest Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposed $1.1-billion cut to higher education in California. There is another statewide day of action planned for May 19th.

Overhaul of Higher Education Act Is Magnet for Lobbying
CQ Politics - March 18, 2007

Congress is currently considering legislation that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The HEA includes nearly every federal policy relating to higher education, and it's expected that it will not be reauthorized again for another five to 10 years. This has lobbyists and student advocates very busy. This article examines some of the many issues at play.

Web site would track tuition hikes
The Standard Online - February 19, 2008

The College Opportunity and Affordability Act would create a website that would monitor tuition hikes at colleges across the country.

Essay contest offers scholarship
The Vista Online - July 26, 2007

The Campaign for College Affordability hosted an essay contest on college costs and access for a $2,500 scholarship.

Nelnet contributed funds to congressional campaigns
Nebraskan - January 26, 2007

NelNet, one of the country’s biggest student lenders donated thousands of dollars to the 2006 campaigns of two Nebraska Congressmen. Not surprisingly, they were two of 71 reps who lost the vote against H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act, in a landslide last week.

House Easily Passes Scaled-Back Measure to Ease Student Debt
Chicago Tribune, January 18, 2007

The House passed a bi-partisan resolution to reduce interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans. The measure will be phased-in for the duration of five years, reducing the interest rate from 6.8 to 3.4.

Relief Looms for Student Loan Borrowers...But Who Will Pay?
Fox News

Loan Lenders are concerned that they are going to be held responsible for covering the funding of the proposed interest rate reduction. In order for the government to cover the $6 Billion interest rate cut, the bill would reduce subsidies for the private lenders.

Senate To Consider Student Loan Interest Rates
Associated Press

Senator Kennedy scheduled a hearing to consider the ways to make college more affordable. Besides the phased-in interest rate cut, Kennedy is also proposing raising the maximum amount of Federal Pell Grants students can receive from $4,050 to $5,1000.

Drowning in Debt: How Privatization and the rise of a for-profit loan industry hurts students
Orbis, December 8, 2006

Most American students used to get money from college from grants (i.e. free money,) but now the vast majority must borrow funds by taking out loans. How did this happen? This article puts the current situation into historical and political context, tracing the transition from the past to the debt-laden present. It also provides an excellent outline of actionable options by illustrating the benefits and detriments of private lending versus the direct loan program.

America's Indentured Graduates
Christian Science Monitor, December 6, 2006

In today's information-based world, it's a must for young people to get a college education. However, graduates are now saddled with twice as much debt as a decade go, twice as many students have to borrow money, and three out of four students with $20,000 or more in debt are already working. This generation is trying its damnedest, but the cards are just stacked against them. This concise but comprehensive article poses the question as to whether college should become as freely available as K-12.

Incoming House Likely to Reform How Students Pay for College
Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2006

The incoming House has pledged to cut student loan interest rates in half, from 6.8% to 3.4%. This cut, however, may only last for one year due to its steep costs. The new leadership has also introduced legislation that would give students and universities incentives to borrow directly from the government instead of going through private lenders. This would not only save students money, but it would benefit the government as well by circumventing the wasteful subsidies that go to private banks.

Young People Struggle to Deal With Kiss of Debt
USA Today, November 20, 2006

This generation of twentysomethings is straining under the weight of college loans and other debt, a crushing load that separates it from every previous generation.

Student Voting Impacts Political Decision-Making
Daily Collegian (Penn State University), November 15, 2006

With student voting in the recent midterm elections up 118 percent on campus since 2002, the new Democratic majority in congress may start to pay attention to student concerns.

Colleges Seek More State Aid
Massachusetts Republican, October 30, 2006

Presidents of three community colleges in Western Massachusetts last week took a united stand in favor of increased state financial aid, saying some students are already cutting back on their course loads because of a lack of funds.

U.S. Court Upholds Law Denying College Loans to Drug Offenders
Bloomberg News, October 30, 2006

A federal judge in South Dakota upheld a law making students ineligible for federally backed college loans once they have been convicted on a drug charge.

Offering Perks, Lenders Court Colleges’ Favor
New York Times - October 24, 2006

With rising tuition making private student loans a big business, lenders are courting universities in hopes that they will steer students their way.

Debt Education: Bad
Dissent Magazine - Summer 2006

Now that it’s virtually impossible to work your way through college, student loans have become an essential part of the university experience, forcing a mind shift about education; what was once a public entitlement is now a private privilege. This article examines some of the problems posed by this shift, and proposes a range of solutions.

Student Debt Crisis: Are There Any Solutions?
AlterNet – August 23, 2006

This article offers a comprehensive look at the causes of student debt, such as interest rates, the zeitgeist mentality about massive debt, and tuition increases.

This Rampart Is Rising: In Many Nations, Class Barriers to College Are Growing
Newsweek, Aug. 21-28, 2006

Depending on the country, a person with a university degree can command anywhere from 25 to 120 percent more in lifetime earnings. When it comes to the price of a university education, there is much at stake around the world.

Private Lender Accused of Misleading Students
Inside Higher Ed – September 28, 2006

Find out how Loan to Learn, the company responsible for about 10% of all student loans in the United States, has been deceiving students about federal loans, and reaping enormous profits as a result.

Educational Attainment Drops as Student Debt Goes Up
Neiman Watchdog – September 21, 2006

This report has the facts on the mounting problems facing students after leaving college, and the U.S.’s declining numbers of young people earning college degrees.

Textbooks, housing reasons for student debt: Rising Cost of Student Living
The Daily Texan – September 1, 2006

Although tuition has skyrocketed in years past, overall increases in cost of living have contributed to unmanageable college costs. College textbooks, for instance, have tripled in price since 1986 and are becoming ever-larger culprits of student debt.

The Growing (And Nearly Equal) Private and Public Student Debts
The Cavalier Daily – August 31, 2006

Graduates of public colleges and universities accumulate almost as much debt as their peers at private institutions. This is part of larger trend of exploding student debt overall. Private loans for higher education rose in volume from $2.5 million in 2004 to $6.3 million in 2006.

How the Financial Aid Flows: Inequitable Tax Breaks
Inside Higher Ed – August 24, 2006

When it comes to tax breaks for college, federal aid isn’t necessarily supporting those who need it most. The higher income families actually receive more financial relief for college than lower class households do.

Sallie Mae's Success Too Costly?
60 Minutes - May 7, 2006

Sallie Mae, the student loan corporation, has reaped tremendous benefits at students' expense. As 60 Minutes reports, the company's stock price has gone up almost 2,000 percent in 1995 when Sallie Mae became a private lender, and the current CEO, Al Lord, is building his own private golf course and made a bid to buy a professional baseball team. Not only that, Fortune magazine has deemed Sallie Mae one of the most profitable companies in the world. This is horrible news for students and taxpayers alike, as they're the ones paying for it. The loan cycle can continue because universities are essentially bribed by Sallie Mae to use their loan program instead of the direct loan program run by the U.S. government. Government loans, however, cost taxpayers about five times less per student loan and save students money as well. Passing legislation to reinforce the direct loan program will be difficult, as Sallie Mae and its employees have thrown more than $2.7 million at congressmen and their PACs since 2002 to keep the status quo stacked in their favor.

Student Debt Alert: Nationwide Student Debt
Student Debt Alert – 2006

Total student debt in the United States totals more than $438 billion, and that’s not even including private loans. This site gives a few powerful factoids about student debt and features a continuously rolling debt counter.

The Best Class Money Can Buy
The Atlantic - November 2005

This article examines the rise of enrollment management at many college and universities in the United States. Financial aid leveraging, one tool of enrollment management, is the use of financial aid dollars to change the demographics of a schools student population or increase tuition revenue. For example, a college can either give one student with financial need a $5,000 scholarship, or give five wealthy students a $1,000 merit scholarship. The later will pay closer to full tuition, and bring in more revenue. It is described by one prominent economist as a “brilliantly analytical process of screwing the poor kids.”

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance – “Dollars & Sense”
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance – November 9, 2005

This governmental PowerPoint presentation provides ample, damning evidence that higher education is increasing becoming a class privilege, not a social right. It offers a clear visual snapshot of the issue, as well as some possible solutions, like simplifying the loan process for lower-income students, to improve the plight of collegiate debt.

Note: If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can access the presentation with this free online software.

Putting Students First
The New York Times - June 14, 2004

Let's face it: student loans are broken. Representative Petri, a congressman since 1979, explains how absurd the inner workings of student loans really are. Private lenders, for instance, are guaranteed a profit when lending money to students even when interest rates fluctuate and when students default on their payments. His remedy is to strengthen the direct government loan program. Not only is it cheaper for students, it's actually far more efficient than the private process and ends up turning a profit for taxpayers.

Student debt increasingly unmanageable
CNN.com – March 8, 2002

Over six in ten college graduates are burdened with debt. Of those, four in ten college graduates are burdened with an unmanageable debt of 8% or more of their income.

Reports & Comprehensive Resources

The Credit Squeeze and Student Loans
Project on Student Debt - Spring 2008

Recent news reports have stoked fears that students will be unable to find education loans this fall because of the credit crunch. This quick FAQ and other resources by the Project on Student Debt will give you the real scoop – you will have no trouble finding federal loans – as well as some advice for the small number of students affected.

The Economic State of Young America
Demos - May 6, 2008

A comprehensive look at the economic state of young Americans is worrying – declining incomes, rising debt levels, widening racial inequality in college access, skyrocketing rent and housing costs, and other challenges continue to make this a difficult time for young people.

The Progressive Generation
The Center for American Progress/Campus Progress - May 6, 2008

Generation Y, Millennials, Whippersnappers – call our generation anything you want, except conservative on economic issues. Young people today are more progressive when it comes to the economy, including government investment in education, than previous generations – even when they were our age.

The Truth About Credit
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Student PIRGs

This website contains valuable reports about credit cards on campus, action alerts on new borrower protections, and information on campaigns to reign in certain forms of credit card marketing to students.

House of Cards: Consumers Turn to Credit Cards Amid the Mortgage Crisis, Delaying Inevitable Defaults
Center for American Progress - February 21, 2008

This report discusses the consequences of increased credit card usage during the mortgage crisis.

25 Ideas for Socioeconomic Diversity in Higher Ed
Roosevelt Institution - 2007

Students from across the country proposed twenty five innovative policy ideas to help make sure that everyone can access and afford higher education. The ideas are presented in a concise and logical format, and range from plans to better prepare K-12 students for college to a campaign for wealth-blind admissions policies.

New Legislation Could Help Millions of Students
Center for American Progress - July 11, 2007

Congress has passed legislation to cut student loan debt in half for many students, and increase need-based aid. Find out how this legislation will affect students in your state with an easy-to-use interactive map.

Honest Lending, Fair Lending
Campus Progress - April 2007

This is Campus Progress’s step-by-step guide to probing campus financial aid offices for conflicts of interests that damage the student loan system. Students have a powerful incentive to ensure that their schools direct them to loans on fair terms, rather than to lenders who have developed cozy relationships with school administrators. With this guide, students and activists can review and expose campus practices and help get conflicts of interests out of college financial aid.

The Case for an Incentive-Based Credit Card Disclosure System
The Center for American Progress - November 29, 2006

This report makes the case for the creation of a credit card safety rating system that would help borrowers to make better decisions about their credit cards, and give credit card companies an incentive to improve their terms and conditions.

Young Adult Economics Series
Demos - November 2006

This series of publications examines several economic issues affecting young people, including the cost of higher education, student loan and credit card debt, and unaffordable housing markets.

EconomicDiversity.org
The Institute for College Access & Success

This website allows you to see information about socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic diversity, as well as information on student debt, financial aid, tuition, and enrollment, for many institutions of higher education. You can also compare colleges to each other, and create tables for reports, articles, or factsheets.

Tuition on the Rise While Aid Languishes Behind
The College Board - October 24, 2006

Although college tuition is increasing at a dastardly rate, it's slowing somewhat at public universities.  Private universities, however, are still experiencing rapidly increasing costs.  Just like tuition, aid is also increasing but is failing to keep up with inflation, and federal aid is actually decreasing.  This excellent collegiate snapshot also features reports about student debt, Pell Grants, and trends in community colleges.

Higher Education: Soaring Out of Reach for Hispanic Families
Campaign for America's Future, September 2006

Contrary to the name of the report, it actually focuses on financial disarray of all college students, not just ones from Hispanic families. Now more than ever, college costs a greater portion of family income due to unprecedented increases in tuition. But the real strength of this report is its damning case against private lenders and makes a strong, thorough case for direct student loans from the government. For instance, did you know that loans from private institutions like Sallie Mae cost the government 11% of the total loan, whereas direct loans cost the government only 3.7%? That's a huge savings not only to the taxpayer, but to students as well.

Paying Back, Not Giving Back: Student Debt’s Negative Impact on Public Service Career Opportunities
State PIRGs’ Higher Education Project – April 2006

Exorbitant student loans aren’t just detrimental for the people who have to repay them; they also sap society as well. Student debt is outpacing the starting salaries of jobs like teaching and social work it far more difficult for college graduates to pursue careers in those fields. This means that fewer people in society will be able to receive a quality education and the help they need – all thanks to student loans.

Student Loans in Bush's Budget
Kate Sabatini & John S. Irons, Center for American Progress - February 7, 2006

President Bush’s budget for Fiscal Year 2007 will direct approximately $8 billion in net subsidies to private student lenders next year through the government-guaranteed loan program. If 100 percent of loans were disbursed through the direct loan program, the savings could be redirected to the Pell Grant Program to provide up to 1.5 million new grants to students.

Project on Student Debt
Project on Student Debt – 2006

Project on Student Debt is a project that aims to reform governmental policy about student loans with its five-point plan. The website has detailed information about student loans per state, per university, as well as a plethora of general facts about university-related debt.

Putting Students First
Center for American Progress - April 29, 2004

An analysis of the potential for cost savings and increased aid to students through greater participation in the Direct Loan Program.

Empty Promises
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance – June 2002

Every year over 400,000 students will be unable to enroll in a four-year college due to financial barriers. What’s worse is that over 200,000 college-qualified students will receive no college education for the same reason. This detailed, analysis of student debt explores its causes, its inevitable consequences, and possible solutions.

IBR Info
Project on Student Debt

Congress has recently passed legislation giving students the option of using income based repayment (IBR) for their student loans, and expanded public service loan forgiveness. This website gives you all of the information you need on how to take advantage of these programs.