NASFAA Signs Letter Requesting Support for One-Year Perkins Loan Program Extension

By Erin Timmons, Communications Staff

NASFAA joined 53 higher education organizations and 535 institutions last week in signing a letter to several Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle that requests support for legislation that would allow a one-year extension of the Perkins Loan Program, ideally through the upcoming appropriations process. The letter expressed concern that the expiration of the program will leave hundreds of thousands of students struggling to pay for college and pointed out that “campus-based aid programs, including Perkins loans, require institutions to provide 'skin in the game,' balancing any risk the federal government might incur."

Additionally, the letter explained that because Perkins is essentially a revolving door of funds where money gets funneled back in as students repay their loans, the federal government has not had to appropriate new funding to the loans since 2004. The one-year extension would allow Perkins to be included in the forthcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The letter urged the policymakers to “either advance a stand-alone extension soon or attach such legislation to a legislative vehicle” so that it can be voted upon before the end of 2015.

Read the full letter.

Publication Date: 11/23/2015

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NASFAA Signs Letter Requesting Support for One-Year Perkins Loan Program Extension

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