While legal action to collect defaulted student loans is required, an equally important aspect of the student loan dilemma is to identify ways institutions can reduce the rate of future defaults. "Due diligence" procedures are discussed, as well as other administrative measures helpful to institutions. (MLW)

Although seldom used by organizations such as schools, Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 is definitely available to them. College administrators must understand how the code can work and overcome emotional resistance to filing a bankruptcy proceeding. Reviewers' comments to those ideas are included. (MSE)

The use of a student loan secondary market by a lender under the federally guaranteed Stafford Student Loan Program can be a shock to a student unfamiliar with the role secondary markets play. The first student loan secondary market (Student Loan Marketing Association, or Sallie Mae) was created in 1973. (MLW)

This article describes the operation of the student loan program in Nigeria, including its past problems and current attempts of the Nigerian Students Loans Board to improve efficiency of loan collection. It proposes the establishment of a new Education Bank to finance student loans and other forms of investment in higher education. (Author/DB)

Problems with the Reagan administration's proposal for an income contingent loan (ICL) program are discussed. From an institution's perspective, ICLs are likely to be a major administrative headache because colleges would be required to administer it. (MLW)

Present law respecting collection of federal student loans, regulatory and other sanctions against default, and strategies against bankruptcy are outlined and analyzed. (Journal availability: Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems, Box 7, Columbia University School of Law, 435 W. 116th St., New York, NY 10027, $5.00.) (MSE)

Colleges must investigate financing options before they are needed by their students and be ready to help students find new and creative ways to fund their education. Tax-exempt financing options, new sources of loan capital, cooperative arrangements with state agencies, and new federal aid are among the possibilities to explore. (Author/MSE)

A court ruling in the Girardier v Webster College case, that a college or university may validly refuse to issue transcripts to former students who have not repaid their educational loans and who have discharged those obligations through bankruptcy, is discussed along with some related cases. (Author/MLW)

A proposed change in federal student loan policy from providing loans through lending institutions to providing loans directly to students is of enormous importance to higher education, with major implications for colleges and universities. There are powerful arguments pro and con. Institutions must ensure they and policymakers understand the…

Student loan debt levels are discussed in relation to borrowing patterns, educational opportunity, and cost-effectiveness of a college education; and common concerns about debt level are examined. It is concluded that while student indebtedness is high, these concerns are out of proportion to reality and reflect inappropriate assumptions about…

Because college costs will continue to increase dramatically, educational loan programs will become more important in the financial package. An efficient, national student loan program that will guarantee access, choice, and fairness is what is needed. (MLW)

Loans have become an important, even essential, ingredient of college financial aid and family financial planning. The World Bank and other international groups, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, regularly review the experiences of many countries in financing education. Their findings are discussed. (MLW)

Discussed are legal obstacles to the practice of withholding transcripts: how educational debts are handled in bankruptcy proceedings, effect of an order of discharge on the school's rights, and legal barriers when debts have not been discharged. (Journal availability: Willamette University College of Law, Salem, OR 97301, $5.00 entire issue.)…

The paper reviews and critiques the 13 existing (1987) law school assistance programs and proposes a national repayment-assistance debt-forgiveness program which would involve an income-contingent repayment "tax" coupled with an assurance to creditors of repayment by means of a "guarantee" or "insurance" fund. (DB)

The debt crisis of the lesser developed countries (LDCs) may provide opportunities for educational institutions. Through debt-for-education programs, a part of the huge debt load can be channelled into financing various educational programs sponsored by U.S. higher education institutions. Private commercial banks and multinational corporations are…