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  • Student Loans : Financing College Education In The Future

    Posted on July 27th, 2009 Editor More Than 14 Days

    The market of student loans is undergoing huge changes. Around a year earlier, people found low-cost federal student loans, both private and government, dependable but today, the situation is different. In the past, private companies were paid by taxpayers to provide loan to students; they are reimbursed when the borrowers default. This impels huge amounts of money from taxpayers which lead to the benefits of the lenders without putting them at any risk.

    Barack Obama has top three priorities which are health care, energy and college affordability. Making these things easily accessible will surely enhance the standard of American families and will also make their future secure. Basically, we have two choices: we can either continue channeling amounts paid by taxpayers through the boardrooms or start directing them straight to the dorm rooms.

    After vigorously discussing with the key stake holders, the legislation has been revealed for creating an affordable, reliable and good quality program for federal student loans which will make college education easier for all the Americans. Under this legislation, grant aids will be increased and student loans will be stabilized, thus helping more number of students to graduate without or with fewer debts. Apart from that, taxpayers will not need to pay extra dime for this. Among the changes include:

    1. First of all, Pell Grant will be strengthened which aims at providing financial aid to the low income students. The annual scholarship will be increased $5,500 to $6,900 by the year 2019.
    2. Secondly, the interest rates will be kept down for students from middle class. In the year 2012, the rates of interest on the subsidized federal loans will increase from 3.4% to 6.8%. As per this bill, the interest rates will be variable starting from that year thus, they will be kept affordable.
    3. Thirdly, the legislation will make payments for the investments and cut off all the federal loans for students from the market swings from 2010 through more stable Direct Loan Program. Direct lending will provide same low-cost financial aid as the lenders but at a lower cost plus without the interest related conflicts. The Congressional Budget Office says that this small change will save $90 billion for the tax payers over a decade, thus proving a more efficient, affordable and dependable program for both tax payers and students.
    4. Fourth, customer services will be upgraded for all the borrowers of federal loans. Instead of forcing the private industry to be out of the system, a new private-public partnership will be forged which will maintain jobs as well as provide a higher quality service to the borrowers when they repay their loans. In this way, non-profits and lenders will try to do their best as far as the service loans are concerned. The private sector innovation will be harnessed for the welfare of the general public.
    5. Fifth, the legislation will provide new initiatives proposed by Obama for preparing the students to compete in future jobs. $10 billion will be invested for turning the community colleges into education and job training vessels that will be helpful in the recovery of the economy.
    6. Finally, a sound fiscal future will be built for the students and $10 billion will also be returned for paying down the deficit.

    After all, all the parents want their children to receive best of the education without the need to be heavily indebted. For this, the financial aid system has to be transformed which will aim at the benefits of the students rather than of the banks.