“The next few months may be busier than usual for financial-aid offices at the colleges that are still in the process of switching to the direct-loan program, which they must do by July 1," the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. "But, despite the earlier concerns of some small colleges and others that the change to a new federal-loan system would be technically difficult, confusing, and costly, financial-aid administrators and experts report that the process appears to be moving smoothly so far. ‘We have not heard any schools say they would not meet the July 1, 2010, deadline,’ said Justin Draeger, vice president for public policy at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. ‘That doesn’t mean they’re not concerned, and it doesn’t mean they’re not working furiously to get this done.’"
You can read the complete April 29, 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education article on-line. A paid subscription may be required.
"This week, news reports have suggested that Congressional Democrats are pushing ahead to take up immigration reform legislation, which would most likely include measures aimed at putting students who spend at least two years in college on a path to permanent residency,"Inside Higher Ed reports. "It was with this sense that such change might finally be in the offing, after close to a decade of false starts, that the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good, based at the University of Michigan, and the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance convened for ‘Challenges and Opportunities: Future Pathways Towards Immigration and Higher Education,’ a three-day conference designed to build support for policies aimed at helping college students who are also undocumented residents of the United States. … Josh Bernstein, immigration director for the Service Employees International Union, encouraged administrators and faculty to target their own legislators by ‘find[ing] a student to be emblematic’ of the need for immigration reform. Justin Draeger, vice president for public policy at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said the same in a discussion on how the national higher education associations could work in favor of immigrants. ‘It’s at the institutional level, putting pressure on individual members of Congress, that is always done locally.’"
You can read the complete April 28, 2010 Inside Higher Ed article on-line.
A Trifecta of Federal Burdens Will Affect Student Loans Sooner Than You Think (Today’s Campus)
Abstract: College presidents, provosts, CFOs, directors, and legal counsel take note. Laws and regulations governing federal and private student loans just got much more complicated. Cohort default rate standards are more strict. New regulations affect how schools assist borrowers. And an ever-growing administrative burden may threaten your ability to offer financial aid to students. The federal government has steadily employed a carrot and a stick to motivate campuses to accomplish certain national goals. The recent changes may lead some campuses to eschew the carrot to avoid a big stick.
The full article was originally published in March 2010 and is available online at Today’s Campus.
Quoted In: Colleges Scramble to Adjust as Student Loan Overhaul Passes (The Washington Post)
“As Congress approved landmark higher education legislation Thursday, hundreds of colleges and universities were racing to overcome a major logistical challenge: switching within three months from private lenders to the U.S. Education Department as their provider of federal student loans,” The Washington Post reports. “‘This isn’t an easy transition,’ said Justin Draeger, vice president for public policy for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. ‘But I think colleges and universities are going to do everything they can to ensure that students have an uninterrupted supply of loans this year. Now it’s crunch time. It’s going to take some resources, some time, some outreach to students.’”
You can read the complete March 25, 2010 The Washington Post article on-line.
“People complain about car insurance, worry about health insurance and debate the need for life insurance, but there isn’t much talk about tuition insurance,” Inside Higher Ed reports. “Companies are now trying to move in to reach a larger market of tuition payers … But some financial aid experts question the need for tuition insurance, and even those who sell it acknowledge that not every tuition payer is going to feel the need to buy a policy … Students from low-income backgrounds could benefit from the policies, but because they are so poor they’re unlikely to take the policies out to begin with, says Justin Draeger, vice president of public policy, advocacy and research at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Both Kantrowitz and Draeger note that because colleges publish refund policies and have appeals policies, it makes sense for families to figure out whether they’re actually taking a big risk by not buying the insurance. “A little bit of homework up front about the college’s rules can make it clear that the insurance isn’t necessary,” Draeger says, adding that in most instances he thinks it isn’t.“You can read the complete Feb. 24, 2010 Inside Higher Ed article on-line.
