Given the pressure for alternative uses of government funds, loans will continue to have a role in the student assistance program. The limitations inherent in their use and how best they may be coped with are explored. (MLW)

The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act seeks to expand access to postsecondary education by recognizing the changing demographics of the campus community and by increasing potential funding for crucial programs. Other major changes enacted during the reauthorization process are discussed. (MLW)

This summary report is one of a series addressing major policy, management, or program issues facing Congress and the administration. The issues identified in this report indicate the need to: reduce the cost and preserve the integrity of higher education student loan and grant programs; enhance the federal role in monitoring lenders, agencies,…

Financing higher education is a four-way collaboration between the government, state and federal; the students and their families; the private sector; and the higher education institutions. Placing the entire burden of higher education on one of these parties is unreasonable. (MLW)

Results are presented of a General Accounting Office audit of the Student Loan Insurance Fund (SLIF) financial statements for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980. SLIF finances the Guaranteed Student Loan Program by reimbursing lenders and state guarantee agencies when students default on their loans. The fund, which is managed by the…

Student loan programs have been racked by defaults, bankruptcies, and administrative trivia, causing Congress to search for another system. Under consideration is a loan that would be repaid to the Internal Revenue Service through a withholding tax. However, better collection efforts with the present system are producing encouraging results. (JMD)

The Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program's current operations, legislative history, and growth are reviewed, along with research needs. GSLs are made by lenders to college students, and the federal government guarantees them and provides incentive payments to lenders and subsidy payments on behalf of students until loan repayment begins. Today,…

This report on abuses in federal student aid programs, particularly the Guaranteed Student Loan Program (GSLP), is based on information gathered by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the course of its overall investigation and the testimony and exhibits received during the course of hearings held between February and October,…

A transcript is provided of the subcommittee hearing on the effect of Congressional Methodology (the system established to determine eligibility for federal student aid) on federal student financial aid eligibility. The statements of the following persons are provided: Francine Andrea, New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid…

This report discusses recent changes in federal aid to postsecondary students enacted by Congress during 1992-93, focusing on the 1992 Amendments to the Higher Education Act and the 1993 Federal Direct Student Loan (DL) Program. The report reviews recent issues surrounding federal aid to postsecondary students, such as program accountability and…

The loan collection efforts of the Department of Education are discussed in hearings held as part of fact finding prior to reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Attention is directed to the collection record of the Department, the rationale for shifting collections from federal to private collectors, and the reasons why two of the remaining…

Lenders' billings for interest subsidy payments under the Department of Education's Guaranteed Student Loan Program (GSLP) are discussed. In fiscal year 1986, the Department of Education paid lenders $2.4 billion in interest subsidies on $39 billion of outstanding Guaranteed Student Loans. The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the accounts…

The guide is intended for use by staff of governmental agencies that exercise regulatory authority over postsecondary educational institutions. It describes a simplified system for collecting, analyzing, and sharing information on the policies and practices of the regulated institutions. The policies and practices in question are those that relate…

The question of a balance in the supporting roles of students and families, governments, and institutions in college financing is discussed. In the context of that analysis, the question is then whether the current student aid system is the most cost-effective and fair way of meeting national needs. (MLW)

Federal aid has had many overlapping purposes and effects, from labor objectives to bolstering institutional enrollments, but the larger mission has been to help people realize their educational aspirations regardless of individual economic or social origins. The history and future of the democratization of college opportunities are discussed.…