It is widely believed that starting public school teacher salaries are too low, and student loan burdens are too high. If true, everyone could be facing a situation in which recent college graduates cannot afford to go into teaching because they will be unable to repay their college debts. Public policies are already being formulated on the basis…

Government student loan schemes typically have implicit interest rate subsidies which, while these are a cost to taxpayers, they have the benefit of diminishing repayment burdens for graduates. Our goal is to illustrate the extent of both interest rate subsidies and repayment burdens with respect to Thailand's Student Loans Fund (SLF), using…

In the early 2000s, a highly selective university introduced a "no-loans" policy under which the loan component of financial aid awards was replaced with grants. We use this natural experiment to identify the causal effect of student debt on employment outcomes. In the standard life-cycle model, young people make optimal educational investment…

Pressure is growing for Congress to overhaul the student loan consolidation program which has allowed borrowers to lock in low interest rates over the loan life. Lenders and student groups are in opposition over the program; colleges are tending to take a neutral stance. (SLD)

This report describes the educational experiences, labour market outcomes and financing of higher education of recent graduates for Canadian postsecondary education institutions using data from the 2007 National Graduates Survey (Class of 2005). The first section describes the characteristics of graduates from college, bachelor, master and…

"Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" is the authoritative source for accurate information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; the financial and human resources invested in education; access, participation and progression in…

Students frequently experience "sticker shock" when at graduation they find their college debt is much larger than they planned or expected. If they do not understand loan repayment and loan costs, they may borrow more than they can afford and experience difficulty in paying their loans. This study explored debt from the students' perspective to…

Studies the impact of the loan burden of seniors at 27 colleges and universities in 1998 on their plans to pursue graduate and professional degrees. Finds no adverse impact of loan burdens on student postgraduate degree plans. (PKP)

This booklet describes the Direct Consolidation Loan program students can use to combine one or more student loans into a new loan. Things to consider before seeking a consolidation loan are outlined. Direct consolidation loans offer a number of advantages; they are free, result in one lender and one monthly payment, and offer flexible repayment…

This guide for college students in Alberta, Canada, discusses paying back students loans. While it may be the last thing a student wants to think about as he or she leaves college, it is a good idea to plan how to pay back the loan. A Canadian student has 6 months free of payments on graduation, but then must begin paying student loans, principal…

The U.S. Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report to help inform policymakers about the progress of education in the United States. Using data from across the center and from other sources of education data, "The Condition of Education 2015" presents 42 key indicators on…

This guide explains available repayment options for federal student loans so that students can repay their debts successfully. It also tells the steps students should take so that they will not get behind in payments or go into default. It is emphasized that federal student loans are real loans, just like car loans or mortgages, that must be…

Student loan defaults have been and are currently a serious national concern on the part of all the participants in the GSL (Guaranteed Student Loan) program. It is recognized by policymaker and practitioner alike that this threatens the quality and integrity of our federal student aid programs more than any other single issue. (CT)

Economic analysis of the borrowing and repayment patterns of Canadian bachelor's-level university graduates using data from the National Graduate Survey of the class of 1990. Finds, for example, that overall women borrowed only slightly less than men, repaid as quickly as men (despite lower earnings), but reported significantly more difficulty in…

Data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) (National Center for Education Statistics) show that the majority of students are turning to loans to finance college, and debt levels are escalating. Thirty-nine percent of student borrowers now graduate with unmanageable levels of debt, meaning that their monthly payments are more…