Student Loans : Blog, News and Updates

Take a Deep Breath and Beware of the Annual U.S. News College Rankings

David Levy — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 16:17:32 +0000

Now that the college rankings season has resumed, it's a good idea to take a deep breath and consider the timely advice offered by Dr. John Tierney in The Atlantic.

Converse College Slashes Tuition

David Levy — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 22:48:25 +0000

Converse College, a small independent women's liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, announced that it is cutting its tuition by 43% for the 2014–15 academic year. The one-time tuition reduction or "reset" from $29,124 in the 2013–14 academic to $16,500 in the coming academic year affects both continuing and incoming full-time undergraduate students.

Obama Proposes to Shake-up Higher Education

David Levy — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:34:26 +0000

Citing "higher education as the single most important investment students can make in their own futures," the Obama administration offered a plan to make college more affordable for American families.

On vs. Off-Campus Housing

Student Loan Network Staff — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:27:31 +0000

With the fall semester of college starting up in a few weeks, college students are working towards finalizing their housing situation for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, you're running out of time to answer the looming question: "Do I want to live on campus or off campus?" To help you to answer this question, we've weighed some of the crucial factors to consider while making this decision.

Student Loan Servicer Transfer

Student Loan Network Staff — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:44:28 +0000

Last week, the United States Department of Education released a newsletter informing students and their schools that federal student loans handled by four nonprofit servicers would soon be transferred to new servicers. Over the next two months, the majority of loans that are currently serviced by COSTEP, EDGEucation, and EdManage will be transferred to MOHELA, while those serviced by KSA Servicing will be transferred to Aspire Resources Inc.

Measure Twice: The Impact on Graduation Rates of Serving Pell Grant Recipients

David Levy — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 21:27:55 +0000

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, an independent committee providing expertise on student aid to Congress and the Secretary of Education, has recently released a policy bulletin, “Measure Twice: The Impact of Graduation Rates of Serving Pell Grant Recipients.”

The Usual Mistrust or a Preview of More Bipartisanship?

David Levy — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:03:52 +0000

With bipartisan support, on July 31, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act (also known as the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, as amended by the Senate), by a vote of 392 to 31. President Obama signed the legislation into law on August 9, 2013. Under the new law, interest rates on new loans each July 1 will be based on the last 10-year Treasury auction in the previous May.

Doubling Interest Rates: The Devil is in the Details

David Levy — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:55:24 +0000

This is still an interest rate increase masquerading as a decrease. Interest rates are at historically low levels and have nowhere to go but up. We can expect interest rates to start increasing by about 1.5% per year in 2015.

5 Ways to Cover College Costs

Student Loan Network Staff — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:53:19 +0000

Whether you’re a soon-to-be freshman or second semester senior, it is never easy to figure out how to cover the costs of college. With tuition and hidden fees averaging out to about $40,000 per year, many of you are still wondering how your family is expected to pay for $35,000 of your education, even after having received your Student Aid Report (SAR) three months ago. To help you out in your pursuit of a college degree, here are 5 ideas for paying for college when FAFSA comes up short.

How America Pays for College — 2013 Report

David Levy — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 18:34:17 +0000

Sallie Mae has issued its sixth annual report, How America Pays for College. Financial aid expert, David Levy, breaks down the key findings.