By Lauren Asher, Vice President

In Monday's New York Times article about a new state student loan program for New York, a spokesperson for Governor Paterson's budget office said, "One of the big problems in the student loan program is that it is drying up. People who were able to get loans last year can’t get them this year." This kind of misleading statement encourages students and parents – already rattled about how to pay for college – to believe they’ll have trouble getting the most common and affordable type of student loan: a federal loan. In fact, federal student loans remain fully available to all eligible students and parents.

The New York program will encourage undergraduates to borrow up to a stunning $50,000 in state loans, even though dependent undergraduates can already borrow up to a total $31,000 in federal Stafford loans. These federal loans have lower interest rates than the New York loans and come with significant borrower protections and guaranteed access to affordable repayment options.

While it is true that the availability of private student loans has declined due to changes in the broader financial markets, only 8% of the undergraduate class of 2007 used private loans, and an estimated 40% of them had not maximized their federal borrowing options first.

If the goal of the new loan program is to make college more affordable, it misses the mark. Nationally, more than two-thirds of students who graduate from four-year colleges already carry an average of about $22,000 in student loan debt – with similar numbers for New York state. Struggling students should not be burdened with more debt, which will leave them even less able to buy a home, support a family, or save for retirement when the economy picks up again. Instead, tough economic times require states and the federal government to invest in higher education in ways that reduce the need to borrow.

Posted by Edie Irons at 9:32 AM | Permalink

We joined 12 other national organizations to send a letter to Congressional leaders urging that their economic stimulus bill include major new investments in college affordability. Our proposal includes a dramatic Pell Grant increase, a boost in funding for Federal Work-Study, more access to PLUS loans, and emergency federal loan funds for some students.

Read the letter

Posted by Shannon Gallegos at 3:47 AM | Permalink

by Debbie Frankle Cochrane, Research Analyst

This morning, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released their fifth biennial Measuring Up reports. This series details how well individual states are doing on important performance measures including preparation, participation, affordability, completion, benefits, and learning.

By Measuring Up’s standards, California received the highest grade (C-minus) in the nation for college affordability. In fact, it received the only non-failing grade in this category. Because of the way this category is measured, California has always performed relatively well: low fees at community colleges help the state appear more affordable than it is for many students.

This (barely) passing grade should not be overblown, as the report also points out that the affordability of California colleges is declining. For every federal dollar that goes to Californians in grant aid, the state itself puts in only 56 cents, relatively little of which goes to community college students. When considering total costs and taking financial aid into account, the lowest income students still need 58% of their family income to afford to attend a California community college. Thanks to higher amounts of financial aid available to them, those same students would need slightly less – 57% of family income – to attend a public four-year college in the state. So how exactly are community colleges the affordable college option?

Low fees are only part of the affordability puzzle. To stay afloat, California needs to increase its commitment to college affordability by increasing grant aid – which can cover all related costs, not just tuition and fees – for the students who need it most.

Posted by Shannon Gallegos at 5:36 PM | Permalink