WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday in favor of the biggest overhaul of college aid programs since their creation in the 1960s - a bill to oust private lenders from the student loan business and put the government in charge. The vote was 253-171 in favor of a bill that fulfills nearly all of President Barack Obama's campaign promises for higher ...

Sep. 22--For private lenders, student loans are a sweetheart deal, a federal subsidy of sorts. They assume no risk, and a tidy profit is guaranteed. The federal government not only gives them a cut for making and administering student loans, but taxpayers back the loans if a borrower defaults. There's got to be a better way to help students and their ...

TROY, N.Y. - President Barack Obama says that by 2020 America will again have the world's highest proportion of college graduates. The president said Monday that a recent increase in Pell Grants will help the nation reach that goal. He made the remarks as he spoke at a community college in Troy, N.Y., which has been hit hard by the economic ...

Sep. 23--The U.S. House last week passed a student loan bill that was long overdue. The country has lost its edge as a world leader in the rate of college graduation, a status it must recover rapidly if it is to stay competitive globally. The rising cost of America's colleges and universities poses a growing obstacle for students. The majority of ...

Dr. Michael Clifford, the principal of SignificantFederation (www.sigfed.com), a company that has invested or has a financial stake in more than a dozen online colleges and universities around the country, has decided it is time to give back. Clifford announced today that SignificantFederation plans to make $1 million in scholarships available to smart students, who can no longer afford to pay ...

Oct. 16--Area college students with disabilities who are pursuing college degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics soon will be able to apply for scholarships to help them attend college. Auburn Montgomery and Alabama State University announced Thursday that they will receive a portion of a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help Alabama students with disabilities earn ...

Oct. 18--Mention that you need to start saving for your child's college tuition and you will hear the same advice from many financial planners: Pay for it in advance. "Step one is, if you can lock in your costs at today's prices, do it," said Cathy Pareto, a certified financial planner in Coral Gables. That's because the costs of college are ...

The Black College Expo will return once again to Prince Georges County for a sixth year. The expo will take place on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 from 9 am to 3 pm at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Reckord Armory, with an after-show from 3 pm -5 pm. The mission this year is to provide more resources and ...

HOUSTON -- One-third of students are changing their college plans because of the economy, according to the 2009 Back to College survey. The nationwide survey, conducted by Money Management International, a nonprofit full-service credit counseling organization, measured the toll of the economy on students' plans for attending and paying for college. Tuition, room, and board for the average undergraduate student in ...

Oct. 21--Many community and technical college students in Tennessee and Georgia have no access to federal student loans, causing some to turn to more expensive private loans, a new report shows. The students cannot apply for federal loans because their school won't enroll in a federal student loan program, fearing participation will expose them to a high default rate and related ...

Everybody has their own welcome-to-the-real-world moment. Staring at your first paycheck and wondering what all those deductions are. ... Waking up at 2:30 in the morning with your 5-year-old at your beside, saying, "I think I'm gonna frow up." ... Hearing the mechanic say, "Looks like your tranny's shot," in rural Georgia on your first family vacation to Florida. There's a ...

Reduced state spending and diminished endowment funds are making for higher college tuition for students this year, figures indicate. A College Board report released Tuesday indicated four-year U.S. public colleges raised annual tuition and fees an average 6.5 percent to $7,020 this fall, while private colleges -- which saw the value of their investments drop in the same period -- posted ...

Some of the nation's biggest for-profit colleges and vocational schools are boosting enrollment in tough times by making more loans directly to cash-strapped students, knowing full well many of them probably won't be able to repay what they borrowed. The schools still make money because the practice boosts their enrollment and brings in tuition dollars subsidized by the government. But some ...

The College Board offered a classic mix of good news and bad news in its latest look at trends in tuition and student aid released Tuesday. Both rose, meaning colleges are charging more, but students also are receiving more assistance to offset higher prices. The increasing grant aid, from the federal government and the colleges and universities themselves, has kept the ...

Filling Out Your FastWeb Profile Completely Can Qualify You for Millions of Dollars More in Scholarships. The cost of higher education is skyrocketing and even one semester of college comes with a hefty price tag. With the average tuition price spiking again this Fall, thousands of soon-to-be or continuing students are on the hunt for financial aid. FastWeb's done the dirty ...

Oct. 26--EL PASO -- Fifteen percent of students at for-profit colleges in El Paso failed to pay back their federal loans on time -- a trend that began before the economy faltered. Students who borrowed and neglected to pay back thousands of dollars they used to attend for-profit colleges now find themselves tangled in a financial mess that threatens their credit ...

Aug. 24--Families have always agonized over how to save money for their children to attend college, but these days planning can be even more difficult. Colleges and universities have been raising fees sharply and often, making it particularly difficult for families to plan. The phenomenon also has widened the gap between low-income families who can secure enough student aid to pay ...

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 77, a long-term champion for education and health care, died on Tuesday, August 26, 2009, after a year-long battle with brain cancer. He was diagnosed with a malignant glioma after suffering from a seizure in May 2008. His death ended a 46-year career in the US Senate and service as chair of the US Senate Committee on ...