Jeff Mictabor

Income-Based Repayment for Federal Student Loans

Income-Based Repayment for Federal Student Loans Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a new repayment option for student loan borrowers that could significantly reduce the monthly payments on your federal student loans. As ... Read >

Expanding Federal Regulation of Private Student Loans

In a vote last month that fell for the most part along party lines, the House Financial Services Committee approved the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which will expand federal oversight of nonfederal private student loans. At the sam... Read >

Student Associations Lobby for Bill to Revamp Student Loans

Student governments and organizations at colleges and universities nationwide are pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that supporters say will make acquiring a higher education more accessible and affordable. The legislative measure, known as the Stu... Read >

GOP, Lobbyists Mount Criticism of Bill to Overhaul Student Loans

The Democratic-led House of Representatives, in a 253 to 171 vote on September 17, easily passed landmark legislation that would bring an end to the long-standing Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), the program initiated by the Higher Educat... Read >

Expanding Pell Grants, Ending Government Subsidies to Banks

With a 253 to 171 vote last week, the Democratic-led House of Representatives easily passed landmark legislation that would bring an end to the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), the program initiated by the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ... Read >

Community Colleges Now Offering Four-Year Degrees

In this still-uncertain economy that remains rife with unemployment, hundreds of thousands of out-of-work blue- and white-collar professionals, competing for scarce available jobs, find themselves faced with the need to further their training, expand t... Read >

Compromise Stimulus Bill Expands College Grants but Not Student Loans

Compromise Stimulus Bill Expands College Grants but Not Student Loans After weeks of back-and-forth political jockeying over President Obama's proposed economic stimulus package, Congress settled on a compromise bill that offers expanded federal gran... Read >

Economic Stimulus Bill Would Pump Billions Into Education

President Barack Obama is proposing an $825 billion economic stimulus bill that would include $140 billion â€" the largest increase in federal aid since World War II â€" to bolster the nation's schools and help them stave off cuts to education program... Read >

17% Swell in College Financial Aid Submissions Hints at Economy’s Effect on Families

More families are appealing to the federal government for help this year in paying for college, as parents face a shrinking job market, record-high food and gas prices, and tightened borrowing restrictions that have grown out of the current credit cris... Read >

‘The Year of the Youth Vote’: McCain and Obama Work to Attract Young Voters

Student Voters Look to Candidates for Answers to Crisis in Student Loans and College Affordability With problems growing in the student loan industry, spurred both by an ongoing credit crunch with its roots in the subprime mortgage crisis and by co... Read >

Students Scramble to Find Student Loans as Fall Semester Draws Near

It's crunch time for college students trying to secure the money they need for the fall semester. But with lenders continuing to suspend their student loan programs â€" the count now stands at 131 federal loan lenders and 30 private loan lenders â€" st... Read >

Concerns About College Costs Shaping More Students’ Decisions

Freshman concerns about college affordability are at a 35-year high, according to a recent survey by the Higher Education Research Institute. Of the students surveyed, 39 percent said financial aid packages â€" the funds schools offer them in the form... Read >

Top-Rated Online Colleges of 2008 Offer Financial Aid to Most Students

If your schedule demands flexibility, convenience and round-the-clock availability, an online college degree program might be able to accommodate you in ways that a brick-and-mortar school can't. With customizable scheduling and at-your-desktop vir... Read >

Financial Aid 411: Know the Ground Rules for Paying for College

With college tuition prices on a steady incline that's outstripping inflation, more and more students may need to rely on financial aid to help pay for school. Trying to decipher what your financial aid award letters mean can seem complicated, but we... Read >

Saving on College Tuition

While tuition and fees have risen over the last decade at all types of colleges and universities, these costs have gone up the least at two-year schools, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The GAO report  a... Read >