NASFAA In the News

House To Vote On Bill Tying College Loan Interest Rates To Market-Based Rate
May 22, 2013 - "The House is expected to vote Thursday on a Republican-sponsored bill that would tie the interest rate on new federally guaranteed college loans to a market-based rate," The Stamford Advocate reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger "opposes a temporary patch and wants 'a long-term solution that is mark...
Seeking Solutions To The Student Aid Mess
May 17, 2013 - "The financial aid system in this country is broken. There are many reasons why the system needs to be overhauled, but let's start with this one: the federal government is profiting tremendously when it lends money to college students and their parents," CBS's MoneyWatch reports. NASFAA is mentioned in t...
So How Much Will It Cost To Send Your Child To College This Year?
May 7, 2013 - "Across the country many parents are experiencing a variety of emotions," the Huffington Post reports. NASFAA is mentioned in the article.
Interest Rates On College Loans On Way Up
May 2, 2013 - "...Unless Congress acts before July 1, interest rates on subsidized student loans, for which students must demonstrate financial need, will rise from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent," the Arizona Daily Star reports. NASFAA's Megan McClean is quoted in the article.
Aid Applicants With 2 Mothers
April 30, 2013 - "Beginning in 2014, students whose parents are unmarried but living together, as well as the children of married gay and lesbian couples, will list both parents when applying for federal financial aid, the Education Department announced Monday," Inside Higher Ed reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger...
College Students Face Increasing Student Debt
April 26, 2013 - "Student debt has increased steadily across the country in the last decade, topping $1 trillion for the first time last year, according to education financing experts," The Anniston Star reports. NASFAA's Megan McClean is quoted in the article.  
Arizona Students Nervous With Interest Rate Set to Double on Need-Based Loans
April 23, 2013 - "Unless Congress acts before July 1, interest rates on subsidized student loans, for which students must demonstrate financial need, will rise from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent," Cronkite News reports. NASFAA's Megan McClean is quoted in the article.
University Business: Less Debt, Easier Payback
April 23, 2013 - As student loan debt levels and default rates in the United States continue to climb, consumers remain concerned about the accessibility and affordability of higher education. In light of these concerns, NASFAA convened a task force in 2012 to examine trends and make recommendations aimed at improving ...
Senate Committee Hears Concerns Over Financial Aid
April 17, 2013 - "Congress needs to act to keep interest rates on federally subsidized student loans from doubling this summer, the chairman of the Senate education committee said Tuesday," Market Watch reports. NASFAA is mentioned in the article.
Student Loans Killing You? Here's a Little Secret
April 15, 2013 - "Indeed, at a time when Congress is debating whether to raise student loan interest rates and defaults continue to skyrocket, [Income-Based Repayment]-enacted as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 under the Bush administration and expanded under President Barack Obama-remains a l...
New York: Funding Cuts Hit Colleges
April 10, 2013 - "Local colleges and universities are trying to absorb the federal cuts for the 2013-14 school year while dealing with already rising costs and maintaining enrollment as the number of traditional college-age students decreases across Upstate New York," the Utica Observer-Dispatch reports. NASFAA is ment...
Tax Credits for Education
April 10, 2013 - "After having her first child, Deborah Harris, 32, decided to go back to school. She decided to pursue a master's degree in fashion, a subject she had loved since high school," MainStreet reports. NASFAA's Karen McCarthy is quoted in the article.
High-Tuition, Not-High-Enough Financial Aid
April 8, 2013 - "A common line used by academic administrators and policymakers when colleges hike tuition is that there’s no real need to worry: scholarships will be available for the poor. That really high published price will apply only to the rich," Washington Monthly's College Guide reports.
Boxed In, Borrowers Struggle to Repay Private Student Loans
April 8, 2013 - "Many borrowers with student loans from commercial lenders (banks like Wells Fargo and companies like Sallie Mae and SoFi) find themselves in this situation: struggling with high monthly payments and few options to ease the burden," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. NASFAA President Justin Drae...
Student Loans Trap Parents, Too
April 8, 2013 - "About 2.2 million Americans who are 60 and older have co-signed private student loans for their children and will be responsible for that debt if their children can't pay," The Deseret News reports. NASFAA's Megan McClean is quoted in the article.
NASFAA: Student Aid and Sequestration
April 2, 2013 - Higher Education Talk Radio on Tuesday discussed sequestration and how it will effect student aid. NASFAA Managing Director of Policy and Federal Relations Megan McClean was a guest on the program.
Student-Aid Association Puts Award Letters to a Test
April 2, 2013 - "Consumer advocates have complained for years that financial-aid award letters are difficult for students to understand and compare, and have called for the letters to be standardized," The Chronicle of Higher Education's Head Count reports. NASFAA's report on consumer testing of the federal government’...
Confusion on College Costs
April 2, 2013 - "A [NASFAA] study of proposed templates for financial aid letters released today suggests that students and parents want information that’s clear and easy to understand -- but they’re not particularly thrilled with any of the options available so far," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Opinion: College Financial Aid Process Requires Reform to Meet Needs of Families
March 31, 2013 - "[W]hen you consider that as of July 1, the federal loan interest rate on subsidized Stafford Loans is scheduled to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent unless Congress votes to change that, some student loan borrowers and their families are praying that [financial aid] reform can’t come soon enough,...
Pennsylvania: Recent Sequester May Impact Students Sooner Than Expected
March 31, 2013 - "On March 1 President Barak Obama signed the sequestration into law, the $85 billion automatic federal spending reduction plan which will slash roughly $86 million from student financial aid," the Bucks County Community College Centurion reports. NASFAA is mentioned in the article.
Neither Party has Cash for Student Loan Rate Fix
March 28, 2013 - "Incoming college freshmen could end up paying $5,000 more for the same student loans their older siblings have if Congress doesn't stop interest rates from doubling," The Associated Press reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in the article.
New York: Sequestration Cuts Imperil Aid to College Students
March 17, 2013 - "Thousands of college students on Long Island and across the nation who rely on financial aid, such as the federal work-study program, could feel the sting of Congress' across-the-board spending cuts in the coming academic year," the Long Island Newsday reports. NASFAA's Megan McClean is quoted in the ...
Debt Deja Vu: Student Loan Rates Set to Double
March 17, 2013 - "Millions of consumers across the country are now dealing with massive student loan debts that put a strain on their financial stability, and those burdens could soon grow larger if lawmakers don't act," Credit.com reports. This article cites NASFAA testimony at a recent U.S. House Committee on Educati...
Maryland: Sequester Will Affect Financial Aid for the Coming Academic Year
March 17, 2013 - "The across-the-board federal spending cuts known as the sequester come at a bad time for Maryland colleges. Many usually send out financial award letters this month, but they still don't have all the details on how much federal funding they will receive for certain aid programs," The Baltimore Sun rep...
Students Feel Burn of Sequester Cuts in Fee Hikes on Federal Loans
March 15, 2013 - "The effects of the sequester have spread to the hallowed halls of education. Both graduate students and the parents of undergrads have been quietly receiving letters from the federal Department of Education," Fox News reports. Megan McClean, NASFAA's director of policy and federal relations, is quoted...
Students Take Hit Unless Congress Acts
March 14, 2013 - "Unless Congress acts, the interest rate on new federally subsidized Stafford student loans taken out after June 30 will revert to 6.8 percent - the same rate charged on unsubsidized Stafford loans - from 3.4 percent," The San Francisco Chronicle reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in th...
5 Ways to Tackle the Student Debt Crisis
March 14, 2013 - "Reacting to the national concern about the student debt crisis, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has released a report that recommends numerous ways to fix the system," CBS's MoneyWatch reports.
Big Day on the Hill for Student Loan Group
March 14, 2013 - "When a House committee tackled one of the biggest issues facing many graduates-the rise of student loan debt-the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators was there leading the charge," Associations Now reports.
Going Beyond Interest Rates
March 14, 2013 - "A hearing Wednesday indicated that members of Congress from both parties are interested in thinking bigger when looking at the federal student loan programs -- either in a bill to avoid the interest rate hike for subsidized loans, or when the Higher Education Act is (eventually) renewed. … Justin Drae...
Michigan: The Sequester Comes to NMU; Which Cuts Affect Students
March 14, 2013 - "After another session of partisan brinkmanship, Congress failed to pass a deficit reduction plan, thus triggering $1.5 trillion in federal budget cuts over the next 10 years this is being referred to as 'the sequester,'" The North Wind reports. NASFAA is cited in the article.
Ohio’s College Students Caught in Sequester Fight
March 14, 2013 - "Thousands of Ohio's neediest college students could see the federal grants and work-study jobs they are expecting next school year disappear because of automatic cuts, known as sequestration, that Congress did not take action to avoid," Dayton Daily News reports. Megan McClean, director of policy and ...
Reimagining Financial Aid
March 14, 2013 - "The first results of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation's effort to redesign the federal financial aid system are in: 15 white papers totaling 587 pages, nearly all calling for an overhaul of at least part of the nation's system for helping students pay for college in order to improve graduation rates...
California: Sequestration: The National, State and Local Impact
March 13, 2013 - According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Long Beach Community College "is expected to lose about $58,000 in student financial aid funding" through sequester, the Long Beach Business Journal reports.
Need-Based Financial Aid Remains Unaffected by Federal Spending Cuts
March 11, 2013 - "The across-the-board spending cuts signed into law earlier this month will leave most student financial aid untouched. For next year, at least," The Daily Nebraskan reports. NASFAA President-elect Craig Munier, director of the Scholarships and Financial Aid at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is qu...
Colleges Hold Out Hope of Avoiding Steep Cuts in Funds
March 11, 2013 - "Deep federal spending cuts that both Democrats and Republicans had hoped to avoid were set into motion March 1, as Congress failed to act in time to prevent or postpone the reductions. ... The uncertainty in financial-aid support complicates an already daunting process for students and their familie...
Recommendations to Rein in Parent Borrowing for College
March 11, 2013 - "It's not just students who are borrowing massive amounts to attend college. Easy access to loans is putting more parents in debt - and financial aid professionals are concerned. A new report from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators suggests steps should be taken to limit p...
Sequestration Complicates College Aid Notices
March 7, 2013 - "Colleges play a guessing game every spring when they tell prospective students how much financial aid is available to them. So the federal spending cuts that began with last Friday's sequestration are complicating an already complicated process even more. ... Schools typically send financial aid inform...
College Aid Cuts Will Send Parents and Students Scrounging
March 6, 2013 - "College students dependent on work-study programs and federal grants will have a hard time making up for reduced funding in the new school year as federal budget cuts take hold," Reuters reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in this article.
Georgia: Cobb Braces For Impact of Spending Cuts
March 5, 2013 - "As across-the-board federal government spending cuts begin to take effect, many agencies in Cobb County are trying to sort out the looming uncertainty that comes with them," The Marietta Daily Journal reports. NASFAA Chair Ron Day is quoted in this article.
L.A. County Could Lose Millions in Federal Funds
March 4, 2013 - "Substantial federal budget approved by President Barack Obama on Friday could stop the flow of millions of dollars to services across Los Angeles County unless Congress acts to stop it. U. S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal warned last week of sequestration impacts on Long Beach," Patch.com reports. A NASFAA repor...
Ohio: College Students Face Higher Fees, Reduction in Awards With Federal Cutbacks
March 4, 2013 - "College students are among those who will feel the brunt of sweeping federal spending cuts that kicked in Friday. Tens of thousands of Akron-area students likely will lose money or federally funded jobs or pay more for their loans," Ohio.com reports. Megan McClean, NASFAA's managing director of policy ...
Sequestration Impact Outlined School-by-School
March 4, 2013 - "The sequester, a series of across-the-board governmental budget cuts totaling $85 billion, is upon us after Congress missed a Friday deadline to avoid it," USA Today reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in this article.
California: Two Long Beach Colleges Stand to Lose Federal Funding
March 4, 2013 - "Colleges across the country will feel the impact of automatic federal spending cuts - known as the sequester - scheduled for [March 1], according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators," Patch.com reports.
District of Columbia: Georgetown, Local University Students Face Aid Cuts Under Sequester
March 4, 2013 - "Students at DC universities, including Georgetown University, could face cuts to federal student aid in the coming semesters if sequestration goes into effect," Patch.com reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in the article.
Financial Aid Group Calls on Feds to Shore Up Lending to Parents
March 4, 2013 - "As we reported last year, parents are increasingly borrowing through a federal program to fund their children's college education. ... A new report by [NASFAA] recommends reining in the potential for overborrowing, saying the government should tighten underwriting standards for parent loans," ProPublic...
Boston-Area Colleges Already Struggling With Sequester
Feb. 28, 2013 - "With no deal in sight, the big federal budget cuts — or sequester — will start on Friday. But they’re already hitting colleges and universities in Massachusetts," WBUR reports. "The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators estimates the price tag for [Boston University] will be abou...
California: Dominican to Absorb $32K in Sequestration Cuts to Financial Aid
Feb. 28, 2013 - "Dominican [University] and thousands of colleges and universities across the country are facing cuts to Federal Pell Grant program funding, specifically money allocated to Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) and Federal Work Study programs, according to the National Association of Studen...
Jobless, Students Face Sequester Threats
Feb. 28, 2013 - "People receiving federal extended jobless benefits could see their payments reduced by up to 9 percent or more starting around the end of March if Congress fails to block automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. NASFAA Policy Director Megan McClean ...
Report Recommends Steps To Alleviate Student Debt
Feb. 28, 2013 - "Colleges and universities should be allowed to set borrowing limits for students lower than the cost of attendance, and underwriting standards should be tightened for Parent PLUS loans, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators recommended in a report released today," Inside High...
Report: Sequester Would Reduce Financial Aid at West Michigan Colleges and Universities
Feb. 28, 2013 - "Colleges in West Michigan could be out tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid next school year if across the board federal spending cuts - known as the sequester - take effect Friday," according to a new report from NASFAA, MLive reports.
Sequestration Budget Cuts: Which WI Counties Have the Most Federal Employees?
Feb. 28, 2013 - "Unless Congress reaches a last-minute agreement on the sequester by Friday, the huge budget cuts slated to kick in have the potential to affect more than 6,200 federal employees working in Milwaukee County," Patch.com reports. "Barring any kind of deal, the Obama administration will have to impose $85 ...
The Sequester: Shenanigans or Serious Business?
Feb. 28, 2013 - "If the federal government imposes the $85 billion "sequester" cuts, which could go into effect Friday night, the changes may not be immediately apparent for many metro Atlanta residents," Patch.com reports. "Many of the departments and agencies likely to be affected, such as the Federal Bureau of Inves...
Student-Aid Association Suggests Changes in Student-Loan System
Feb. 27, 2013 - "While the average graduating senior who took out student loans leaves college with what should be a manageable level of loan debt-around $26,500-concerns about student debt are persistent and widespread," The Chronicle of Higher Education's Head Count blog reports. NASFAA's report on student loan indeb...
Pennsylvania: Sequester Concerns About Federal Student Aid
Feb. 26, 2013 - "Parents worry the sequester showdown could hurt their chances at student financial aid. The financial show down between congress and the president has many people across the country afraid of the automatic cuts that would kick in on Friday," WeAreCentralPA reports. NASFAA research is mentioned in this ...
Texas: Recommendations for Student Loan Reform Cause Mixed Emotions on Campus
Feb. 26, 2013 - "The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) offered several policy considerations in a report released [Feb. 13] that received mixed reviews from the UT community," The Daily Texan reports.
Opinion: Congress Shouldn't Gamble With Student Aid
Feb. 25, 2013 - "If you have any connection to federal student aid, whether through the work study program or various grants, the sequester – or large federal spending cuts across the board – could directly affect you," The GW Hatchet reports. A NASFAA report is cited in this story.
Michigan: Eligibility Changes Could Cut Pell Grants at MSU
Feb. 22, 2013 - "Thousands of students across the country utilize federally-funded Pell Grants, or money generally granted to students from low-income families. But after new governmental eligibility restrictions, recent studies show Pell Grant funding is at an all-time low," The State News reports. NASFAA's Gigi Jones...
Should Everyone Be Eligible for Financial Aid?
Feb. 22, 2013 - "Last week, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) released an especially timely report on the perilous current state of financial aid," Online Colleges' Open Academic reports.
Support for Proposed Legislation from Financial Aid Administrators
Feb. 22, 2013 - Rep. Tom Petri’s proposed overhaul of federal student loans encompasses a number of concepts and concerns that have gained growing attention recently as political rhetoric surrounding student loan reform heats up. Critics of the existing loan programs cite increasing complexity, unpredictability, and fi...
FAFSA Tips for Low-Income Families
Feb. 20, 2013 - In a Fox Business article offering tips to low-income families filling out the FAFSA, NASFAA Policy Analyst Karen McCarthy says that if low-income families "make sure that they’re filing [the FAFSA] early, then they’ll be in the loop and open to consideration for the maximum amount of aid that they’re e...
Michigan Colleges Struggle When Students Drop Out, Keep Aid
Feb. 19, 2013 - "Students who get federal grants but don't attend school are leaving Michigan colleges with a bill worth millions of dollars. When students don't spend the money on approved expenses, colleges, especially two-year schools, are turning to tuition increases to repay the federal government, a newspaper rep...
Reception Mixed for Federal College Calculator Website
Feb. 19, 2013 - "An online government-run calculator designed to help families understand the complexities of college costs could be helpful, though some information might be misleading, experts say," the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Universities Try to Tackle Student Debt with 'Tuition Guarantees'
Feb. 19, 2013 - "This year, when freshmen at the University of Dayton walk into their first class, they'll already know exactly how much money they'll spend on tuition for a college education in the next four years," due to the tuition guarantee program the school approved for the 2013-2014 school year, Governing magaz...
Gates Foundation Offers Ways to Simplify Student Aid
Feb. 19, 2013 - "As the last of 16 reports on remaking the federal student-financial-aid system trickle out, consensus appears to be building around a few key ideas. The reports, commissioned by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, generally agree that students need a simpler process of applying for aid, as well as clea...
Pell Grant Scammers Ripping off Michigan Colleges for Millions
Feb. 19, 2013 - "Thousands of Michigan residents have collected Pell Grants without attending classes in the past year, costing Michigan's colleges millions of dollars that have to be paid back to the federal government. At Henry Ford Community College, $4.1 million -- about 10% of the money the college received in Pel...
Subsidized Student Loan Rates Could Rise July 1
Feb. 19, 2013 - "A student loan battle that could affect thousands of UNC students looms on Capitol Hill as federal lawmakers debate measures to rein in spending. On July 1, the interest rate on subsidized student loans could again rise from 3.4 to 6.8 percent, barring legislative action to stop it. This would set the ...
Obama Calls for Innovation in High School and Higher Ed.
Feb. 15, 2013 - "In [Tuesday] night's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama issued a challenge to high schools to better prepare graduates for the modern workforce and to colleges to improve affordability and value. ... To help a high school diploma put students on a path to a good job, Obama urged more co...
Pell Grant Commitment in 9th Grade Could Aid College Planning
Feb. 15, 2013 - "Imagine that as early as 9th grade students know how much they can count on in federal grants to pay for college. Giving students a "Pell Promise" that would guarantee the amount of federal money available after high school graduation is among the policy consideration unveiled Wednesday by the National...
How to Use Obama's College Scorecard
Feb. 13, 2013 - "One of several college-choice websites offered via the Department of Education's College Affordability and Transparency Center—which houses the government's College Navigator and Net Price Calculator Center—the scorecard should be used in tandem with other resources, says Justin Draeger, president and ...
Should All Students Be Able to Borrow? Maybe Not, Says One Group
Feb. 13, 2013 - "When the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation asked 16 organizations to "reimagine" the financial-aid system, one grant recipient saw an opportunity. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators wanted to be bold, to raise controversial questions. The association, known as Nasfaa, release...
Battling College Costs, a Paycheck at a Time
Feb. 12, 2013 - "Students who work fewer than 30 hours a week (excluding federal work-study jobs) while in college were 1.4 times more likely to graduate within six years than students who spent more than 30 hours a week in a job, according to an article by Pilar Mendoza, an assistant professor of higher education admi...
Federal Student Loans Must Be Repaid, Draeger Says (Bloomberg TV)
Feb. 6, 2013 - Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, talks about the loan repayment and decision by some universitites to sue former students over nonpayment of federal Perkins loans. He speaks with Stephanie Ruhle on Bloomberg Television's "Market Makers."
Financial Aid Caught in Congressional Crossfire
Feb. 5, 2013 -"The automatic spending cuts that had been scheduled to kick in on Jan. 1 included a reduction of 8.2% in federal financial aid, amounting to about $350 million. The fiscal-cliff compromise reached by Congress postponed those cuts until March 1. With many schools sending out award letters in coming weeks,...
Federal Student Aid: What's Next?
Jan. 24, 2013 -- NASFAA's Director of Public Policy and Federal Relations Megan McLean appears on the blog EdTalkRadio, where she discusses the future of federal student aid.
California: Get Facts on College Aid at Free Modesto Junior College Workshop
Jan. 20, 2013 - Modesto Junior College is holding a free financial aid workshop next month, The Modesto Bee reports. The paper highlights an online tutorial on filling out the FAFSA by the University of California at Santa Barbara that was recently given a Gold Star by the National Association of Student Financial Aid ...
Avoid These 8 Financial Aid Mistakes
Jan. 15, 2013 -- "This is the time of year when millions of parents and students are grappling with financial aid forms. It's also the time of year when many families make financial aid mistakes," CBS MoneyWatch reports. NASFAA is cited as a key resource in avoiding the list of financial aid mistakes.
Rising Student Loan Debt Has Many Wondering if Changes Will Be Made
Jan 11, 2013 -- "There is lots of talk about possible changes that may be on the horizon for the student loan programs," with NASFAA playing an active role in the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, Central Michigan University Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid Kirk Yats says in Central Michigan Life.
Financial Aid and Divorce
Dec. 29, 2012 - "Navigating the financial-aid process is hard enough. Families with divorced parents face an even tougher time," The Wall Street Journal reports. NASFAA's Karen McCarthy is quoted.
Four Ways to Prepare for the FAFSA
Dec. 28, 2012 - "Although a finished tax return makes filing the form a little easier, it’s not required for FAFSA completion, says Karen McCarthy, spokesperson for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators," Fox Business News reports.
Playing the College Game
Dec. 22, 2012 - "Students and parents should be very comfortable asking whether they should expect the same level of grant or scholarship support going forward," NASFAA President Justin Draeger says in an article in The Wall Street Journal.
Bill Introduced for IRS to Collect Student Loan Payments
Dec. 19, 2012 - Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said he supported the bill, arguing it could "nearly eliminate student loan default," Inside Higher Ed reports.
More Attention, Resources Focusing on Homeless College Students as Numbers Rise
Dec. 18, 2012 - "Experts say the number of homeless students is a growing - albeit not often discussed - issue at colleges and universities across the country. ... There are a number of structures in place to help homeless students in K-12, but fewer for homeless college students, said Jennifer Martin with the National...
Student-Loan Collection Targeted for Overhaul in Congress
Dec. 5, 2012 - "Congress will consider overhauling debt collection in the $100 billion-a-year U.S. student loan program, replacing it with automatic withdrawals from borrowers’ paychecks tied to their income -- a system used in the U.K. Such collections, which can follow borrowers into retirement, 'can ruin people’ liv...
Aid Changes Raise Issue of Diversity at Colleges
Dec. 3, 2012 - "More students need financial aid than did a few years ago, they need much more of it on average, and colleges have fewer resources with which to provide it, though a major expansion of the federal Pell Grant program has made up some of the difference. "We're still seeing a tightening of the budgets, and...
High-School Students Take Dim View of College Scorecard, Report Says
Dec. 3, 2012 - "The College Scorecard, President Obama's proposed way to provide students with better data about their college options, leaves many of those students baffled and lacking desired information, according to a report released on Monday. The report's recommendations drew praise from the National Association ...
In the Fight over Financial Aid Award Letters, Students Must be Heard
Oct. 25, 2012 - "A slew of recent reports dealing with student debt make crystal clear that students need to be better informed about the financial aid packages that colleges are offering them," New America Foundation's Higher Education Initiative reports.
When Student Loans Are Sold: What Borrowers Should Know
Oct. 10, 2012 - "Now all federal loans are available through the Direct Loan Program under the Department of Education, contracting additional servicers to handle increased loan volume," Fox Business reports. "Although all new federal loan borrowers should only have one servicer in the future, here’s what students and ...
No Income? No Problem! How the Gov’t Is Saddling Parents with College Loans They Can’t Afford
Oct. 2, 2012 - "For parents in exceptional circumstances, colleges have some discretion to bypass the Plus application process and give a student the additional amount of federal student loans that would be available in the case of a Plus denial — up to $5,000. Those are judgment calls, says Justin Draeger, president o...
Default Rate on Federal Student Loans Rises Again
Sept. 30, 2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education quotes NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the Department of Education's release of the latest cohort default rates. "While it's too soon to tell whether this signifies a leveling-off of recent dramatic increases' in the cohort default rate, it is encouraging that th...
Student Loan Default Rates Jump
Sept. 28, 2012 - CNNMoney quotes NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the Department of Education's release of the latest cohort default rates. "Default rates have been increasing since 2007, an upward trend that's directly correlated to the economy," Draeger said.
Video: College Cost Tools Help Families Understand Potential Student Debt
Sept. 26, 2012 - PBS Nightly Business Report interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about recent consumer disclosure requirements, particularly as the pertain to existing requirements. "[A] lot of the conversation is about new disclosures.  Part of the conversation has to be about streamlining the current disclosur...
14 Organizations Receive Grants to ‘Reimagine’ Financial Aid
Sept. 24, 2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education cites NASFAA as one of the recipients of a Bill Melinda Gates Foundation grant meant to spark innovative financial-aid policies.
Student Loans: Debt for Life
Sept. 12, 2012 - Businessweek reports about NASFAA's opposition to portions of Sen. Al Franken's (D-Minn.) bill to make a standard award letter.
Mr. President, Money Doesn't Grow On Trees
Sept. 10, 2012 - In a Huffington Post blog article, high school student Jack Cahn cites NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty regarding President Obama's plan to tie campus-based financial aid to college affordability metrics. "Ultimately, who you are punishing with this is the students, they're the ones who get ...
Get a Jump on College Financial Aid: The FAFSA Decoded(2)
Sept. 3, 2012 - The Collegebound Network interviews Eunice Powell, NASFAA senior training specialist, about filing the FAFSA. "'If you're intimidated by paper FAFSA, go online and use FAFSA on the Web,' she says. It uses smart technology, meaning it will even skip questions that don't apply to you based on how you answ...
Pell Grants Cover Smallest Portion Of College Costs In History As GOP Calls For Cuts
Aug. 29, 2012 - The Huffington Post interviews NASFAA Policy Director Megan McClean on changes to the Federal Pell Grant program. McClean said the Great Recession has created a 'perfect storm:' "More people are going back to school, states have scaled back higher education support, and tuition is growing faster than th...
Across Party Lines
Aug. 28, 2012 -  University Business reports on the policy discussion NASFAA hosted between representatives from both the Obama and Romney campaigns at the 2012 NASFAA Conference in Chicago this summer. "Despite bumping heads on a number of ideas, the candidates agree there needs to be an improvement in higher educatio...
Cost of Free Money
Aug. 30, 2012 - In an article about institutions awarding financial aid in excess of their budgeted amount, Inside Higher Ed cites NASFAA in noting that "overspending on financial aid is not a common occurrence, and that they have no evidence that there is a trend."
Enroute to a Degree, Scholarship Squeeze is Latest Hurdle
Aug. 24, 2012 - Reuters interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty in a report on how "cash-poor states aren't providing more scholarship money despite record high enrollments." "That means fewer funds are being spread out among more and more students," Chitty said.
Mass. College Offers Illegal Immigrant Scholarship
Aug. 23, 2012 - The Associated Press interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the establishment of a scholarship fund for undocumented students at Hampshire College, a small private liberal arts college in western Massachusetts. "There are a lot of kids who are U.S. citizens who have barriers to higher educatio...
Hampshire College Establishes a Scholarship Fund for Students in the US Illegally
Aug. 23, 2012 - The Boston Globe cites NASFAA in a report about the establishment of a fund for undocumented students at Hampshire College, a private liberal arts college in ­Amherst. "A survey by the National ­Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators found that about 10 percent of private colleges, and near...
Counterpoint: Financial Aid Transparency
Aug. 21, 2012 - NASFAA President Justin Draeger writes a counterpoint article for Inside Higher Ed in response to Rachel Fishman’s article that "oversimplifies and misrepresents NASFAA’s position" on the Shopping Sheet. "NASFAA has never opposed or discouraged use of the Shopping Sheet. Rather, we have urged schools to...
Opinion: Shopping Around
Aug. 20, 2012 - New America Foundation education policy analyst Rachel Fishman writes about NASFAA's position on the Shopping Sheet in an opinion article for Inside Higher Ed. "NASFAA should be an influential advocate for the Shopping Sheet," Fishman writes. "Financial aid administrators, however, are unlikely to exper...
Lenders Mobilize to Help College Kids Manage Student Loans
Aug. 15, 2012 - In an article about lenders' role helping borrowers manage student debt, CNBC interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty about how colleges and universities are working to reduce college costs. "Higher education institutions are innovating ways, like leveraging technology, to bring down the ...
Ryan's Higher Ed Record
Aug. 11, 2012 - Inside Higher Ed notes the recent appearance of one of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's education advisers at the NASFAA Conference in Chicago last month. The Romney adviser "said the candidate would eliminate or consolidate several grant programs and supported a return to bank-...
Where Paul Ryan Stands on Issues Important to Colleges
Aug. 13, 2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's newly-selected running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan. Draeger notes that a budget proposal by Ryan "would have decimated all education, from K-12 through higher educat...
Hyperbole! Hyperbole!
Aug. 9, 2012 - "Last week's The Economist headlined 'The College-Cost Calamity,' predicting a 'hurricane' from the 'bubble' created by higher education's rising long-term debt and student debt reaching a 'record $1 trillion.'" Newman University President Noreen Carrocci writes in the Huffington Post. "What is bothersom...
Standard College Aid Award Letter Designed to Help Consumers
July 24, 2012 - Caralee Adams interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger for an article in Education Week's College Bound blog about the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new "shopping sheet." "The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators also offered recommendat...
3 College Finance Tips for Scared Students (and Their Parents)
July 27, 2012 - Daily Finance interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education's financial aid shopping sheet. Compliance with the shopping sheet is voluntary. "Institutions need flexibility to design a financial aid award letter that best meets t...
Strange New Ways to Pay for College
July 30, 2012 - Smart Money interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about changes in student lending at institutions. "As college endowments bounce back from their financial-crisis lows, some schools are lending money to students with rates as low as 0%," Draeger said.
1-Page Letter on Student Financial Aid
July 26, 2012 - "Three years behind schedule, the U.S. Department of Education this week unveiled a standardized one-page financial aid award letter it is urging colleges to adopt so students can easily compare the out-of-pocket cost of one school versus another," the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
A Sobering Look at College Affordability
July 24, 2012 - "It’s no secret that many of the metrics used to gauge families’ ability and willingness to pay for higher education are headed in a direction that’s a little bit frightening for colleges," Beckie Supiano writes for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Head Count blog.
Government Gives Colleges a Model for Telling Students What It Would Cost to Attend
July 24, 2012 - "The Obama administration is releasing today the final version of a model financial-aid award letter that colleges can use to provide potential students with standardized information on their true costs of attendance, as well as any available grants, loans, and other financing options, such as Work-Stud...
Using Scholarships Strategically
July 24, 2012 - "Colleges use scholarships to meet institutional goals, but they have to pick their priorities," Beckie Supiano writes for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Head Count blog.
What the Future Might Hold for Financial Aid
July 24, 2012 - "No one would have been able to predict back in 2002 the changes and challenges financial-aid professionals have faced in the last decade, David Mohning said at the start of a panel discussion he moderated here on Monday at the annual meeting of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administ...
Some Schools Cut Student Grants, Scholarships
July 16, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the results of a study showing that colleges and universities are cutting back on grants and scholarships. "During the deepest valleys of the recession, schools were trying to maintain a certain level of [financial aid]. As schools...
Income-Based Repayment of Student Loans: If Only Borrowers Knew
July 2, 2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger in an article about the advantages and disadvantages of the federal Income-Based Repayment program. "[E]xperts all seem to think it's a good idea, maybe even a game-changer. 'Why does anybody default in the day and age of income...
Opinion: Financial Aid Award Letters Often Lack Transparency and Wind Up Confusing Students and Parents
June 18, 2012 - Eileen Ambrose of the Baltimore Sun interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about NASFAA's position on proposals to standardize award letters. "Our concern is that students are as diverse as their institutions," Draeger says. "Schools need some latitude to deliver the information that will make the m...
Opinion: Of Student Aid, College Costs
June 15, 2012 - In the Worcester Telegram, Jack P. Calareso, president of Anna Maria College in Paxton, writes about a recent article by NASFAA President Justin Draeger that "provided a fact-based and logical analysis of the student aid issue. He articulates three myths about student aid and provides helpful insights."
10 Colleges Will Provide Cost and Financial-Aid Information to Incoming Students
June 5, 2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about Tuesday's White House meeting with college presidents on the administration's "shopping sheet." "The fact that participating colleges are committing to display common elements, but aren't signing on to a certain format, sh...
How Much Disclosure?
June 6, 2012 - Inside Higher Ed cites NASFAA's policy recommendations regarding the push to standardize award letters. "The association’s proposal, put forward last week, calls for all award letters to provide certain information, including the estimated cost of attendance (including room and board, tuition, fees and l...
Letter to the Editor: Borrowing for College
May 29, 2012 - "'Full Disclosure for Student Borrowers' (editorial, May 23) offers several good ideas to help students make informed decisions about borrowing for college," NASFAA President Justin Draeger writes in a New York Times letter to the editor. "But you make no mention of the primary solution to keep down stud...
Senator Introduces Bill For Standard College-Aid Letters
May 24, 2012 - Bloomberg refers to NASFAA's recommendations for improving award letters in an article about legislation proposed by Sen. Al Franken that would require colleges to use a standard format for financial-aid award letters. NASFAA "is opposed to the standardized letter and prefers to give colleges the flexibi...
Consistent and Clear Financial-Aid Award Letters Urged
May 23, 2012 - Caralee Adams writes about the release of NASFAA's recommendations to improve award letters for Education Week's College Bound blog. "NASFAA's Award Notification and Consumer Information Task Force published a report to provide award-letter best practices along with a glossary of standardized award-lette...
Financial Aid Officers Suggest College Aid Letter Changes
May 23, 2012 - Bloomberg interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the release of recommendations for award letters. "The first steps to financial aid and borrowing for college are the award letters, which aren’t always clear because schools often lump their own scholarships together with federal grants. ...'Som...
Recommendations for Standard Financial Aid Award Letters
May 23, 2012 - Inside Higher Ed reports on the release of NASFAA's report "recommending best practices for financial aid award letters, including 10 elements that it says should be standardized across institutions. Financial aid award letters should clearly state the cost of attendance; total grants and scholarships; t...
Louisiana: Time of Financial Aid Disbursement Depends on School
Dec. 10, 2011 - The Shreveport Times interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about when in the semester institutions disperse financial aid. Some schools, like Louisiana Tech University, wait until further into the quarter of the semester to disburse money. 'More schools are looking toward this type o...
Amid Attacks on Pell Grants, Improper Payouts Fell 13 Percent in 2011
Dec. 8, 2011 - Jon Christian and Abraham White cite NASFAA in an article in Campus Progress about efforts by some members of Congress to cut financial aid spending. "One of the critiques of the program, improper payments of Pell Grant funds, should be less of a worry now as such instances fell by 13 percent in 2011, ac...
Fighting Pell Grant Fraud
Dec. 7, 2011 -  The Community College Times interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty about student financial aid fraud. Chitty said that "colleges are addressing the issue, though media reports rarely focus on the successes of preventing such crimes."
Improper Pell Grant Payments Drop 13%
Dec. 7, 2011 - The Triangle Business Journal cites NASFAA regarding the rate of improper Pell Grant payments, which declined from 3.1 percent a year ago to 2.7 percent in 2011.
Some Students Are Leaving College with Huge Private Loans
Dec. 4, 2011 - The Baltimore Sun interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about student borrowing and the terms and conditions of all loans. Draeger said NASFAA will advise the consumer bureau to require that private loans be certified by schools to prevent overborrowing.
Student-Aid Group Gets Proactive on Improving Award Letters
Dec.5, 2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Education's Ticker blog reports on NASFAA's newly created task force to examine student aid award letter and consumer information best practices.
Deficit Supercommittee's Failure Triggers Steep Cuts for Education and Research
Nov. 22, 2011-NASFAA President Justin Draeger talks to the Chronicle of Higher Education about the looming cuts to student aid. 
New Student Loan Plan: Who Qualifies and How to Enroll
Nov. 11, 2011 - Fox Business interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty about the Obama administration's changes to Income-Based Repayment (IBR). "Basically, the new IBR plan is more generous for those who qualify," Chitty said. "Under the new program, eligible borrowers will have their monthly student loan...
True Cost of Higher Education
Nov. 11, 2011 - PBS Nightly Business Report interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about financial aid award letters and whether they should be standardized. Draeger said "the draft is a good start. But, he says regulators should be careful about what disclosures they require of schools."
Yale Resists Financial Aid Distortions
Nov. 4, 2011 - Yale Daily News interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty about a recent study showing that financial aid at universities is often distorted for students with certain family circumstances. "I think this [issue] speaks to [the fact that] the family structure is changing and that the current [...
Loan Program No 'Slam Dunk'
Nov. 1, 2011 - The Orion quotes NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty in an article about President Barack Obama's plan to consolidate federal student loan programs and lower interest rates. "The plan could end up costing some students more money in the long term and doesn't reach out to the majority of students ...
Federal Changes on Student Loans Creating Anxiety
Oct. 30, 2011 - The Boston Herald interviews NASFAA Communications Director Haley Chitty on federal changes that eliminate the in-school student loan subsidy for graduate students. "This was one of the few federal subsidies provided to graduate students," Chitty said. "It is a pretty significant blow."
Financial Aid ‘Experiments’ Aim to Increase Efficiency for Universities, Students
Oct. 31, 2011 - The Daily Californian interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about the Department of Education's invitation for postsecondary institutions to participate in experiments designed to test whether alternatives to current requirements can improve the administration of student financial as...
Student Loans Will Cost More
Oct. 31, 2011 -- The Columbus Dispatch quotes NASFAA's Director of Communications Haley Chitty about the elimination of subsidized student loans for graduate students. "This was one of the few federal subsidies provided to graduate students," Chitty said.
Is Student Loan Consolidation Right for You?
Oct. 31, 2011 -- NASFAA Spokesman Haley Chitty talks to Fox Business about what students should consider before consolidating their loans.
Loan Debt a Growing Worry For College Students
Oct. 29, 2011 -- NASFAA Spokesman Haley Chitty tells the South Cost Today that students should know that using an income-based repayment program can increase the total cost of student loans.
Audio: Changing Federal Student Aid
Oct. 25, 2011 - NASFAA President Justin Draeger talks to NPR's Marketplace about the transition to the Direct Student Loan program. Draeger told NPR that "some schools miss the financial literacy and debt counseling programs private companies used to provide. 'We're working with the Department of Education right now to...
Students Losing College Loan Breaks
Oct. 14, 2011 -- NorthJersey.com quotes NASFAA's Director of Communications about the elimination of subsidized student loans for graduate students.
House Republicans Propose Cuts To Pell Grants
Oct. 7, 2011 - CTI Career Search quotes NASFAA President Justin Draeger in a report on the the House proposal to make cuts to the Federal Pell Grant program by restricting eligibility requirements, but maintaining the maximum $5,550 grant award. "This shows a more thoughtful attempt to constrain costs without drastical...
10 Things Student Loan Companies Won't Say
Sept. 26, 2011 - Smart Money interviews NASFAA about tuition installment plants. "Financial aid officers acknowledge the risks and say that tuition installment plans aren't for everyone, but that there are benefits. 'Providing additional low-cost or no-cost payment options ultimately gives students and families more op...
Calculating Costs and Benefits
Sept. 20, 2011 - Inside Higher Ed interviews NASFAA President Justin Draeger about the "net price calculator" and how schools and servicers are implementing them. "Depending on how they implemented their net price calculator, it might be very accurate for students or it might be very general for students," Draeger said...
How to Avoid Defaulting on Your Student Loans
Sept. 14, 2011 - The Star Tribune highlights NASFAA's tip sheet to help students avoid defaulting on their loans, and if they've already defaulted, how to rehabilitate their loans.
New Online Tools Expected to Lift Veil on College Sticker Prices
Sept. 14, 2011 - U.S. News and World Report interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about net price calculators. "The Department of Education's template is very bare bones, to the point of not being too useful to institutions without some customization," he said.
Education Dept. Gathers Ideas on Model Format for Financial-Aid Offers
Sept. 13, 2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Education cites NASFAA President Justin Draeger in a report on a Department of Education public meeting on the model award letter format. Draeger was a panelist at the meeting. "There are a lot of variables that just can't be fixed in one standard award letter that's going to wo...
Student Aid Award Letters Continue to Mislead Students
Sept. 13, 2011 - Mark Kantrowitz refers to NASFAA in his article in the New America Foundation's Higher Ed Watch blog about student aid award letters. Katrowitz argues for a mandatory standard, but makes note of several voluntary industry standards, including NASFAA's "Award Letter Evaluation Tool."
Overcoming the Top Student Aid Compliance Issues
Sept. 12, 2011 -  NASFAA's Standards of Excellence (SOE) Program Coordinator Kenneth McGhee writes in University Business Magazine about the SOE Review Program, "which provides peer reviews of financial aid offices to assess strengths and weaknesses and recommend ways to improve overall operations. Through SOE, experie...
From Washington to Campus: How Will Budget Cuts Affect Student Loans Programs?
Sept. 12, 2011 - The Cavalier Daily interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about how the recently passed debt resolution plan affects student aid programs. "The year-round Pell Grant, which allowed students to collect two grants in one year for summer classes, will no longer be available in fall 2012...
Federal Grants to Those in Need Surge
Sept. 6, 2011 - The Beacon Journal interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about the increase in applicants and costs for the Federal Pell Grant Program. "The Obama administration asked for $41.2 billion in Pell funding for the current academic year, but it is unclear how much of that aims to pay down...
Financial Aid Not Falling at St. Edward's
Sept. 6, 2011 - In an article about budget cuts at university's and financial aid offices around the country, St. Edward's University newspaper Hilltop Views reports on a NASFAA survey showing that two-thirds of 1,000 financial aid administrator respondents said their financial aid offices were facing hefty shortages.
Government and Colleges Crack Down on Pell Grant Fraud
Sept. 6, 2011 - University of North Carolina's newspaper the Daily Tar Heel interviews NASFAA Director of Communications Haley Chitty about the federal effort to stop individuals from scamming the Federal Pell Grant Program. "Any time you’ve got a large government program like this, you’re going to have people who try ...
Graduate Students to Start Paying More on Loans Next Year
Aug. 30, 2011 - NASFAA's Director of Communications Haley Chitty spoke with the Daily Sundial regarding the federal government's decision to have graduate students pay back interest on their student loans while still in school.
Video: Earthquake Rocks East Coast
Aug. 23, 2011 - NASFAA President Justin Draeger is interviewed in ABC Nightline's report on the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt from Martha's Vineyard to South Carolina. NASFAA staff was unharmed by the quake and the NASFAA office was undamaged. Financial aid offices in the area also reported they made it throug...
With End of Subsidy on Stafford Loans, Interest Will Accumulate Right Away
Aug. 16, 2011 - The News-Gazette interviews Dan Mann, UI director of financial aid, about the elimination of a subsidy that helped lower student loan debt for graduate students. "The impact will be felt by students starting in fall 2012. About 30 percent of the University of Illinois' graduate and professional students...
At Aid Officers' Meeting, Colleges Share Tips on Lowering Loan-Default Rates
July 19, 2011 - The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on the "Secrets to a Successful CDR" session that took place at the 2011 NASFAA Conference in Boston. "Colleges seeking to lower their cohort default rates should focus their efforts on borrowers who have withdrawn from college, missed their first payment, or fa...
Frustration with the Feds
July 19, 2011 - Inside Higher Ed reports on the 2011 NASFAA Conference in Boston. "In a tough budgetary environment for federal financial aid, with even the bedrock Pell Grant Program on the chopping block, anxiety is omnipresent at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ annual convention, be...
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