This exploratory study examines the factors that college students perceive are important in helping them make good financial decisions about paying for a college education. The study categorizes and summarizes students' self-reported responses to an open-ended survey question about recommendations for changes in financial aid counseling practices.…

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has undertaken a number of initiatives for the 6-month period ending September 30, 1996, to help Education Department managers identify and address issues whose successful resolution is critical to the department's fiscal and management integrity. This semiannual report highlights those activities, which are…

This report presents findings and recommendations resulting from a study on the costs and benefits of a Department of Education policy of encouraging lenders of student loans to grant forbearances to borrowers who experience temporary financial hardship but do not satisfy the specific conditions required for government-prescribed deferments. The…

This directory contains a list of public and nonprofit private elementary and secondary schools designated as having a high concentration of students from low-income families. Full-time teachers at these schools may have a portion of their student loans canceled under the Federal Perkins Loan Program and the National Direct Student Loan Program.…

This report examines the Perkins Student Loan Program, and in particular, the weaknesses in the Department of Education's policies, procedures, and practices for recovering Perkins loan fund assets from schools that go out of business. The report reveals that when schools in the Perkins Student Loan Program close, the Department of Education…

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…

Hearings on the Department of Education's final regulation governing the National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) Program are presented. The final regulation makes three changes: calculation of the federal capital contribution, which is the amount of new federal dollars allocated to institutions each year; the eligibility of institutions to receive…

Hearings concerning the activities of the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) are presented. Attention is focused on a request for an exemption under federal priority for recovering money owed the Association in the event that it files for liquidation or reorganization in the future under the Bankruptcy Act. It is noted that two goals…

This manual is designed to instruct administrators of the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program in how to take every step possible to administer the program effectively and to minimize the program costs of serving the high risk student. It shows schools how to work with students throughout their time in school, create ownership of the loan(s) by…

Pertinent information about the Alaska Student Loan Program is summarized. The topics covered include: purpose of the program; terms; questions and answers concerning loan amounts, application procedures and repayment; a payment reminder including a schedule of payments; the Alaska student loan statutes; and the Alaska student loan regulations.…

The status of the U.S. Office of Education-sponsored National Direct Student Loan funds at 19 selected postsecondary schools was reviewed. Enabling legislation intended that schools attain a revolving fund status but each school differs in its ability to do this because different loan collection procedures are used. Legislation requires schools to…

The text is given of the amendments to part 177 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, concerning the federal Guaranteed Student Loan program. Subpart A concerns the program's purpose and scope. Subpart B concerns general provisions: definitions, eligibility, permissible charges, refunds, and prohibited transactions. Subpart C addresss…

A proposed Tuition Advance Fund is advocated as a solution to the student financial aid and loan default problem for undergraduate students in degree programs at accredited institutions. Qualifying students could borrow funds for three years and repay in the future through payroll withholding or estimated tax payments. (LBH)

Income-contingent student loans are examined in the context of an overall aid program, with an emphasis on placing realistic limits on individual debt burden while broadening loan use. A model for simulating borrowing and cumulative debt limits in different countries' educational circumstances is presented and illustrated with United States data.…

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)