"A series of changes to the federal student loan program that take effect July 1 could potentially slow the recent dramatic growth of direct-to-consumer loans from private lenders," DM News reports. "The changes to the federal loan program include an increase in the amount students can borrow, a decrease in interest rates on loan repayments and new repayment terms enabling some borrowers to start repaying loans six months after graduation instead of 60 days. Much of the growth private student loans have seen in the past 10 years can be attributed to aggressive direct marketing."