Student Loans

Student loans pay for a large share of college in the United States, and the decisions behind them follow borrowers for years. Federal student loans are borrowed through the FAFSA and come with fixed interest rates and repayment protections that private loans usually do not, which is why most advisers suggest using federal loans first.

The rules keep changing. New caps on federal borrowing have set off a national debate, collections on defaulted loans have resumed, and forgiveness programs have been argued over in Congress and the courts. For families, the most reliable protection is understanding what a loan will cost before signing for it.

edCircuit's coverage is written for students, parents, recent graduates and the college staff who counsel them. It follows the policy debates over borrowing limits and forgiveness, what happens when repayment and collections restart, how colleges are teaching financial literacy, and what life after graduation looks like with debt. See also FAFSA and Financial Aid and Scholarships.

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