Students are taking on more college debt in this struggling economy, often without the knowledge to make wise choices. To help students better manage their debt, some college campuses and high schools are ramping up their financial-literacy efforts, where experts say such education should begin. But a squeeze on K-12 resources has hampered the…

Cross-sectional data reveal alarming financial situations among 2009 MSW graduates from 25 states and their loan decisions (N=260). More than a quarter of the participants owe at least $40,000 in educational loans from their MSW degree, and 30% borrowed at least $30,000 of their total college education debt. Expensive credit cards are used more…

Mounting student debt to cover rising college costs is creating a challenging environment for a number of students pursuing a college degree. For many, a college degree is an avenue to financial success and long-term stability. Most college graduates experience more stable employment, higher income, security through assets, and an overall better…

In 2006, TG estimated that 47,000 bachelor's degrees would be lost in Texas due to financial barriers experienced by college-qualified high school graduates from the class of 2004. With more current data, TG now estimates that the number will be 52,800. "Digging Deeper" explores how students who enroll in college continue to experience…

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 lack of industry wide data on homeownership education and counseling (HEC) programs has severely limited evaluation. In particular, very little evidence exists on the relationship between HEC completion and loan prepayment, an outcome of interest to both mortgage lenders and consumer advocates. Where mortgage prepayment directly influences the…

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…

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…

Describes the student loan default management plan of the Art Institutes. The plan includes a student financial plan worksheet, a student financial planner, and activities for students regarding their loan responsibilities. (JOW)

This guide to creative home financing outlines basic concepts needed in shopping for a home loan. Many plans are described so that buyers can make their own decisions. The guide contains three sections: (1) getting started--highlighting the essentials; (2) defining terms; and (3) payment tables. The first section summarizes 15 financing plans in a…

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 describes principles and techniques for credit management. Topics covered include: (1) methods of determining personal credit limits; (2) ways to keep track of credit use; (3) suggestions for planning credit use; (4) explanations of single-payment charge accounts, revolving credit, installment credit, and consolidation loans; and (5)…

An Illinois pooled investment program provides a comprehensive money management service for schools at the lowest possible cost. By pooling the dollar needs of both large and small borrowers, interest rates are reduced. (MLF)

The Waycross (Georgia) school system retired its debt and reduced its tax rates, without reducing educational quality, by budgeting for an operating reserve, carefully reviewing programs, reducing its fiscal responsibilities for special programs, and tightening its budget management techniques. (RW)

This correspondence presents information on: (1) the number of people who have claimed the income exclusion for using savings bonds to cover college expenses; (2) public awareness of education savings bonds and attitudes toward the income limits on use of the exclusion; (3) the recent lowering of the income limits; and (4) the nonrepayment rate…