Mar 10 President Obama unveils 'bill of rights' for student loans By Josh Lederman, Associated Press ATLANTA — Issuing a clarion call to Americans saddled by student debt, President Barack Obama urged student borrowers Tuesday to stand up for their rights, and announced a medley of modest steps to bring some order to a notoriously chaotic… Continue reading
Feb 23 Watch 7:26 Why American students are struggling with – and defaulting on – small debts By PBS News Hour Student loan balances climbed to $1.2 trillion at the end of 2014, and delinquencies are rising even as they fall for most other types of debt. In fact, students with the smallest balances are most likely to default. Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Feb 23 Colleges appeal to Congress to cut regulations they say drive up costs By Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report When letters of admission go out soon from colleges and universities to hopeful applicants, they’ll be quickly followed by offers of financial aid some advocates for students say require a college degree to understand. Continue reading
Feb 18 Today's racial wealth gap is wider than in the 1960s By Simone Pathe Average wealth in America has grown over the past 50 years, but not at the same rate for everyone. Wealth gaps, especially between whites and non-whites, are growing. In 2013, the average white family had seven times the wealth of… Continue reading
Nov 30 Watch 8:49 Will new student loan options make a dent in debt? By PBS News Hour Millions of Americans live with student debt for years, even decades after they graduate from college. Now, two of the nation's largest private student lenders have introduced options to allow borrowers to modify the terms on their loans. NewsHour's Hari… Continue watching
Sep 10 Gov. report shows seniors owe $18 billion in student loan debt By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Rosemary Anderson could be 81 by the time she pays off her student loans. After struggling with divorce, health problems and an underwater home mortgage, the 57-year-old anticipates there could come a day when her Social Security benefits… Continue reading
Aug 22 Help us 'Rethink College' in 3 Twitter chats By Nora Daly Join us, along with an assortment of experts, to discuss several issues currently being debated both in and outside of the education system. Continue reading
Aug 22 Watch Wisconsin group wants to turn student borrowers into activists By PBS News Hour Through the recession, college tuition skyrocketed at public universities to make up for flagging state funding. Some students who borrowed to keep up with rising costs face crushing debt repayments. Hari Sreenivasan travelled to Wisconsin to report on one group… Continue watching
Jul 04 For-profit college to sell off 85 campuses By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press The troubled for-profit education company Corinthian Colleges Inc. and the Education Department reached an agreement late Thursday that has 85 of the company's 100-plus campuses going up for sale, and 12 others closing. Continue reading
Jun 30 Interest rates on new student loans will increase Tuesday By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press The change stems from a high-profile, bipartisan deal brokered last year by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama that ties the rates to the financial markets. Interest rates go from 3.86 to 4.66 percent on undergraduate Stafford loans. Graduate… Continue reading