This publication is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the Application and…

The rate at which borrowers default on their federally guaranteed student loans has declined to 4.6 percent, in part because of a record number of consolidations, the Education Department announced last week. "Borrowers took advantage of the opportunity to lock in record-low interest rates by consolidating their federal student loans," the…

The Postsecondary Education Commission is currently examining the question of affordability at California's colleges and universities. It is a pivotal issue that is being debated both within and outside the higher education community. Clearly, the ability of students and families to finance a higher education is becoming a critical issue. This…

The Council for the Management of Educational Finance (Council) and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TG) are pleased to provide this guide, one in a series of default aversion resources available to the higher education community. Originally published in 2000 and revised in 2003, this guide has now been updated to reflect recent…

The credit market in the United States currently suffers from a rare and serious disruption. Once flowing with liquidity, the creativity and vibrancy of these markets helped fuel an economy that had been the envy of the world. Poor repayment performance in the subprime mortgage market has now reduced the availability of funds needed for other…

Federal Student Aid's core mission is to ensure that all eligible Americans benefit from federal financial assistance--grants, loans and work-study programs--for education beyond high school. The programs administered comprise the nation's largest source of student aid. Every year, the U.S. Department of Education provides more than $83 billion in…

This project studied four career college and school campuses in Texas that had higher than average graduation rates and lower than average student loan default rates to determine what they did to achieve these positive outcomes. The visits to the campuses found that a conscious, concerted effort to integrate students into the academic and social…

Many discussions of student loan repayment focus on those students for whom repayment is a problem and conclude that the reliance on debt to finance postsecondary education is excessive. However, from both a pragmatic perspective and a logical perspective, a more appropriate approach is to develop different benchmarks for students in different…

Federal higher education policy has shifted over the past few decades from grants to loans as the primary means for providing access to postsecondary education for low- and moderate-income families. With this shift, policy makers have begun tracking student loan default rates as a key indicator of the efficacy of student loan programs. This effort…

This guide explains in a question-and-answer format the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Program, which is part of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and is designed to help students and parents manage and repay money borrowed for postsecondary education, usually with just one monthly payment. Advantages of a Direct Consolidation…

This guide, written in Spanish, discusses how to repay student loans. Following a general introduction, the guide discusses the grace period before repayment and repayment requirements. Repayment plans are described for Perkins Loans, Direct Loans, and Federal Family Education Loans. Repayment options are discussed, including consolidation,…

This guide is designed to assist schools with their Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program cohort default rate data. The guide is intended as a reference tool in understanding cohort default rates and processes. Material is organized into four parts: (1) Introduction; (2) General…

This Braille publication explores available options on federal student loans so that borrowers can avoid repayment problems and manage and repay their debts. The guide contains information on repayment plans for Perkins loans, Direct Loans, and Federal Family Education Loans. The repayment options discussed include consolidation, deferment, and…

This guide is intended for students leaving school and therefore needing to plan for repayment of loans received through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. The guide offers students guidelines for choosing a repayment plan, information about rights and responsibilities as a borrower under both subsidized and unsubsidized direct loan…

This report briefly summarizes Alaska student financial aid programs and participation levels for 1990-91. The programs described are the following: (1) Alaska Student Loan Program (program summary, loan award amounts, undergraduate loans, graduate loans, foreign study, loan repayments, default); (2) Alaska Family Education Loan Program…