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This central repository of articles and links should be your first resource for information about student loans and the borrowing process.

College Quality and the Earnings of Recent College Graduates. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. August 2000.

Department of Education data on FFELP, Staffords, Plus, and Consolidations in Q1 of FY 2001 and 2002.

Table 313: Average undergraduate tuition/fee for full-time students in degree institutions. Dept Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003-04 and 2004-05 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2003, Fall 2004, and Spring 2004. (Table prepared August 2005.)

2003-2004 Federal Student Aid – High School Counselor’s Handbook. Dept Education.

Secretary Spellings Announces Plans for More Affordable, Accessible, Accountable and Consumer-Friendly U.S. Higher Education System, Press Release, September 26, 2006. (NSLA NOTE: announcement of intention rather than implementation)

The Path Through Graduate School: A Longitudinal Examination 10 Years After Bachelor’s Degree, Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. February 2007.

A First Look: Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2004 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred 2004-5. Dept Education, National Center for Education Statistics. December 2006.

Remedial Coursetaking - The Condition of Education 2004 Report, Indicator 31. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Distance Education at Postsecondary Institutions - The Condition of Education 2004 Report, Indicator 32. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Institutional Aid at 4-Year Colleges and Universities - The Condition of Education 2004 Report, Indicator 37. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Debt Burden of College Graduates - The Condition of Education 2004 Report, Indicator 38. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Public Effort to Fund Postsecondary Education -The Condition of Education 2005 Report, Indicator 40. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Fields of Study -The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 42. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

International Comparisons of Degrees by Field - The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 43. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Faculty Salary, Benefits, and Total Compensation - The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 44. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Employment of College Students -The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 45. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Federal Grants and Loans to Undergraduate Students - The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 46. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Total and Net Access Price of Attending a Postsecondary Institution - The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 47. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Total and Net Access Price for Graduate and First-Professional Students - The Condition of Education 2007 Report, Indicator 48. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Nontraditional Undergraduate - Findings from the Condition of Education 2002. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. August 2002.

Trends in Undergraduate Career Education. Issue Brief (March 2005). Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Independent Undergraduates 1999-2000. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. September 2005.

1992-93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients and Their Opinions about Education in 2003. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. July 2005.

Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2004 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2003-04. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. September 2006.

Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2004; Graduation Rates, 1998 & 2001 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2004. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. February 2006.

1993-2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B): Methodology Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. November 2005.

The Postsecondary Educational Experiences of High School Career and Technical Education Concentrators: Selected Results from the NELS: 88/2000 Postsecondary Education Transcript Study 2000. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. July 2006.

First Look: Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2005; Graduation Rates, 1999 and 2000; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2005. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. April 2007.

Where Are They Now?: A Description of 1992-93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 10 Years Later. A Statistical Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. October 2006.

A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. A Report of the Commission Appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C. 2006

Dealing with Debt: 1992-93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 10 Years Later. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. June 2006.

The Price of Their Faith: Debt-ridden Seminarians Burden Church’s Future. Episcopal Life, A Closer Look. (Describes data reported to the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). ECF found that 46% of Master-of-Divinity students graduate with substantial education debt – an average of $27,328, just for their graduate degree. Bishop of Atlanta quoted, "To saddle someone making a modest income with $30,000 to $40,000 debt is just criminal.")

Federal Student Loan Repayment Program. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of Compensation Administration. Website item created April 1, 2002. (The program permits agencies to repay Federally insured student loans as a recruitment or retention incentive for candidates or current employees of the agency. Although the student loan is not forgiven, agencies may make payments to the loan holder of up to a maximum of $6,000 for an employee in a calendar year and a total of not more than $40,000 for any one employee.).

"The Federal Role in Education: Overview". Posted 2/4/06 on www.ed.gov (Dept Education website)

FAQs from the Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics

Student Financing of Undergraduate Education: 2003-04, With a Special Analysis of the Net Price of Attendance and Federal Education Tax Benefits. Statistical Analysis Report. August 2006.

Dept. Education, Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request Summary, Section II. D. Student Financial Assistance. February 5, 2007 (provides financial data and short text description of President Bush’s 3-part proposal to increase grant aid)

See p.13 for budget request data for Dept Education financial aid programs. Also interesting to see other programs being funded and at what amount.

Table from President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2008, showing gross commitments. It shows amount of loans the Federal government made in past and would make in FY 2008. Data is separated by loan type (Stafford, Unsubsidized, PLUS, Consolidated, Totals without Consolidated, Totals with Consolidated) by award year (each year from 1993 to projection for 2017) and by number of borrowers, number of loans, amount of all loans of that type, and average amount of the loan.
NSLA COMMENT: Note the legend in the upper left corner of the table, which explains that for the number of borrowers and number of loans, the table shows numbers measured in thousands (in other words, add three zeros at the end of these numbers). Example: if the table shows the number of borrowers as 1,275, it means that the number of borrowers was 1,275,000. The legend also explains that the volume of loans is measured in million (in other words, add six zeros at the end of these numbers. Example: if the table shows the volume of loans is $5,056, it means that the total amount loaned was $5,056,000,000 which is just over $5 billion.

Table from President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2008 showing net commitments. It shows amount of loans the Federal government made in past and would make in FY 2008. Data is separated by loan type (Stafford, Unsubsidized, PLUS, Consolidated, Totals without Consolidated, Totals with Consolidated) by award year (each year from 1993 to projection for 2017) and by number of borrowers, number of loans, amount of all loans of that type, and average amount of the loan.
NSLA COMMENT: note the legend in the upper left corner of the table, which explains that for the number of borrowers and number of loans, the table shows numbers measured in thousands (in other words, add three zeros at the end of these numbers). Example: if the table shows the number of borrowers as 1,275, it means that the number of borrowers was 1,275,000. The legend also explains that the volume of loans is measured in million (in other words, add six zeros at the end of these numbers. Example: if the table shows the volume of loans is $5,056, it means that the total amount loaned was $5,056,000,000 which is just over $5 billion.

Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2000 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 1999-2000. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. December 2001.

Table 315: Average graduate and first-professional tuition and required fees in degree-granting institutions, by first-professional discipline and control of institution: 1987-88 through 2004-05. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (Table prepared 2005).

Student Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education 2003-04: Profiles of Students in Selected Degree Programs and Part-Time Students. Statistical Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. June 2006.

Debts and Decisions: Student Loans and Their Relationship to Graduate School and Career Choice. Lumina Foundation for Education. New Agenda Series, vol. 3, no. 4, June 2001. (reports on graduates of the class of 1993)

Dentist Workforce Profile. Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health Primary Care. February 2002. (In 1999, the average Minnesota dental school graduate had $79,076 in student loan debt. This is below the 1999 nationwide average dental student’s debt of $99,608…. Minnesota’s Dentist Loan Forgiveness program provides $10,000 in student loan reimbursement for up to 14 applicants each year, in exchange for serving 3 years in a practice in which 25% of patients are in public programs or on a sliding fee basis.)

Average student loan debt for Montana student borrowers increased 31% from 1994 to 1998 and Montana’s loan default rate went from one of the lowest in the nation (6.5% in 1992) to one of the highest (9.4% in 1998). 1992-1998 compares several states and national rates of student loan default, and also compares the level of student loan debt to state-provided need-based aid for 6 states. A survey found that most loan defaulters had a job, but it paid too little, on average under $20,000 in 1997.

Debt Burden Four Years After College. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Reports, Statistical Analysis Report. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. August 2000.

Undergraduate Students and Credit Cards: An Analysis of Usage Rates and Trends. Report developed and produced by Nellie Mae. April 2002. (The number of undergrads who have a high balance increased 61% from 2000 to 2002. Graduating students have an average of $20,042 in combined student loan and credit card debt. Students double their average credit card debt while in college. "There is continued cause for concern that enough has not yet been done to educate students on the consequences of over-borrowing. The real cost to a student with a credit card balance of $7,000 can be alarming when one looks at the total interest paid by a user who makes only the minimum monthly payment. A student who makes the minimum payments (3% of the monthly balance, or $25 – whichever is higher) at an interest rate of 18.9%, and who does not charge anything further to the account, would be repaying that $7,000 for more than 16 years, and would pay $7,173 in interest.")

2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS): Undergraduate Financial Aid Estimates for 2003-04 by Type of Institution. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. June 2005.

2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS): Undergraduate Financial Aid Estimates for 12 States, 2003-04. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. September 2006.

"Percentage of graduate and first-professional completers who had ever borrowed from any source for undergraduate and graduate education and cumulative amounts borrowed, by type of degree and institution type: 1999–2000" in NPSAS 2000. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

Past and Projected Undergraduate Enrollments - The Condition of Education 2007: Indicator 8. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 2007.

Big Debts Keep Law Grads Out of Low-Paying Public Service Jobs. November 11, 2002.

Youth Indicators 2005: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth. Dept Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. July 2005. (See p. 52-76)

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