Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released a new web tool that lets users calculate the costs of getting a college degree. While much has been made of the highest and lowest tuition rates, you can also use the tool to …
Educational Financing
One Really Bad Way to Overhaul the Student Loan Market
Jonathan Glater, a visiting assistant professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, and a former reporter at the New York Times, has published a paper called The Other Big Test: Why Congress Should Allow College …
Sallie Mae’s Misleading and Dangerous Press Release
Our old friend Sallie Mae is up to her old tricks again: trying to sell students on extremely dangerous variable rate private student loans with this press release, which touts “changes in the law and improvements in the economy that translate into student loans at among the best interest rates in the last five-year period.”
Why You Should Still Go to College
Over the past year or so, the idea of going to college has been under attack. Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel has been encouraging people to skip college, and my buddy James Altucher has been making the media rounds touting the idea of skipping college.
Why Sallie Mae Should Change Its Name
When the Student Loan Marketing Association was founded in 1972, it was a government-sponsored enterprise — like Fannie and Freddie.
Some Say Pay Off ‘Bad Debt’ First. But Why?
There’s a lot of personal finance advice in the blogosphere that I wish didn’t exist. And one of the most annoying pieces of advice is the constant yammering about “good debt” and “bad debt” and how that bad debt must be paid off first.
Are For-Profit Colleges Targeting Low-Income Students?
A new report that shows low-income students enroll in for-profit schools at four times the rate of other students once again raises questions over whether for-profit colleges target the most vulnerable students in order to line …
Be Skeptical of Colleges Providing Student Loan Assistance
USA Today reports on a popular new trend among pricey private colleges looking to compete with more affordable public colleges: promises to help students repay their loans.
I Borrow, Therefore I Am!
A recent study led by Ohio State University Professor Rachel Dwyer yields a shocking, appalling, and mostly just terrifying conclusion: Many young people feel empowered by their student loan debt — and even by their credit card debt.
Demand for Student Loans and Car Loans Increases
According to the Federal Reserve, non-real estate consumer debt increased by $7.2 billion during the month of April, as consumers borrowed with abandon to buy cars and pay for college. Farewell, new-found thriftiness.
College Sells Rare Books, Furniture to Fund Operations
Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., has just 400 undergraduates and has been plagued by financial and regulatory issues for years. In April, the college announced that it would close June 30th.
Private K-12 Programs Decline in Popularity. Smart Move?
The United States Department of Education‘s The Condition of Education 2011 report confirms a trend that anecdotal evidence has suggested for some time: private schools for children from pre-K through high school are declining in …
