Private student loans are credit-based, non-government college loans from banks and private lenders. Unlike federally-issued college loans, the federal government does not guarantee private student loans or regulate the industry outside of standard lending laws.(student loan)
While federal student loans have a fixed rate, private student loans are typically adjustable-rate loans, with typically higher interest rates and without the flexible repayment options and borrower protections that federal loans offer.
The Student Debt Project compares personal student loans to credit cards in terms of high and variable interest rates and the associated risks for borrowers.
Financial assistance tips related to personal student loan debt reduction
Recommendations for more transparency in the amount of student loan debt
The Student Debt and the Class of 2009 report is the latest edition of the annual survey published each fall by The Project on Student Debt, an initiative funded by the Institute for College Access & Success (ICAS), an independent organization is sponsored – benefit. is committed to making higher education more affordable and accessible to students from diverse backgrounds.
Cumulative data on total graduate student loan debt, which should include annual borrowing volume for government and private student loans, is needed to provide a more accurate picture of the cost of education and the extent to which students engage in student loan debt to get through college, according to ICAS pay.
Require that private student loans be “certified” by the school. Such certification would require colleges and universities to verify a student’s enrollment status and eligibility for financial aid before a lender could disburse private student loan dollars. The certification process would allow each school to advise students on their remaining eligibility for government student loans and other potential alternatives to private student loans.
Private lenders and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators support this type of certification, and most private programs currently available only offer school-certified private student loans.
Require personal student loans to entered into the National Student Loans Data System. The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Which provides students with online access to their complete federal grant profile and history, currently only contains information on government-issued student loans. There no comparable centralized database for private student loans. ICAS points out that the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created under. The Obama administration’s financial reform legislation. Has the regulatory authority to must private lending to included in the NSLDS.
Establishing such a policy will allow for the consolidation of all student loan debt data for a single borrower, according to ICAS. Student borrowers could see their current total college loan debt from government. And private in one place and could use that information to make future lending decisions.
Additionally, including private loans in the NSLDS would allow colleges and universities to measure the rate at which their students are using private student loans to pay for tuition and living expenses while they attend college. Knowing the utilization rate of private student loans can help colleges. And universities offer more scholarships and grants, or encourage schools to reduce overall attendance costs.
Publish student loan repayment rates and graduate debt-to-earnings ratios for each school. Currently, a proposed federal regulation would only must this data from for-profit colleges. And other programs that have high student loan debt ratios. And also low student loan repayment rates after graduation.
Collecting and publishing repayment rates, student debt, and graduate debt-to-income ratio information for all programs that prepare students for employment, and not just for a struggling few, would give a more accurate picture of the program’s costs, according to ICAS . between universities and the probability of finding employment after graduation.
Consider student debt and lending trends for students entering but not graduating. Students who drop out of college before graduation are at a much higher risk of defaulting on their student loans. According to ICAS, the inclusion of student loan debt information for all student loan recipients, regardless of degree, in federal grant surveys and databases will provide a more accurate picture of student debt and default risks associated with specific schools and programs, and allow students to make more informed decisions about college choices.
College-Darlehen, Bericht: Debt and the Class of 2009, National Student Loan Data System
