In the United States, there are two types of student loans: federal loans
sponsored by the federal government and
private student loans, which broadly includes
state-affiliated nonprofits and institutional loans provided by schools. The overwhelming majority of student loans are federal loans. Federal loans can be "subsidized" or "unsubsidized." Interest does not accrue on subsidized loans while the students are in school. Student loans may be offered as part of a total
financial aid package that may also include grants,
scholarships, and/or work study opportunities. Whereas interest for most business investments is tax deductible, Student loan interest is generally not deductible. Critics contend that tax disadvantages to investments in education contribute to a shortage of educated labor, inefficiency, and slower economic growth. Prior to 2010, federal loans were also divided into direct loans (which are originated and funded by the federal government) and guaranteed loans, originated and held by private lenders but guaranteed by the government. The guaranteed lending program was eliminated in 2010 because of a widespread perception that the government guarantees boosted student lending companies' profits but did not benefit students by reducing student loan costs. Federal student loans are less expensive than private student loans. The federal government offers direct consolidation loans through the Federal Direct Loan Program. The new interest rate is the weighted average of the previous loans. Private loans don't qualify for this program. The interest rate of borrowers with federal student loans is nearly equal to the weighted average rate on the former loans while the new interest rate of private loans depends on the one-month London interbank offered rate. Therefore, these two student loans are different in both application and definition. Students can apply for student loans with the Department of Education which enables any school to take part in its Direct Loan project. Some believe that the education of workers would bring societal benefits such as reducing stress on public services, reducing medical expenses, increasing incomes, and promoting employment rates. These people propose that federal student loan rates should be adjusted with specific courses, relative to the rate of risk and societal returns from various studies. The
Master Promissory Note is an agreement between the lender and the borrower that promises to repay the loan. It is a binding legal contract.
Qualification Most college students in the United States qualify for federal student loans. Students can borrow the same amount of money, at the same price, regardless of their own income or their parents' incomes, regardless of their expected future income, and regardless of their
credit history. Only students who have
defaulted on federal student loans or have been convicted of drug offenses, and have not completed a rehabilitation program, are excluded. The amount students can borrow each year depends on their education level (undergraduate or graduate), and their status as dependent or independent. Undergraduates are eligible for subsidized loans, with no interest while the student is in school. Graduate students can borrow more per year. With federal student loans, the student may have multiple options for extending the repayment period. An extension of the loan term will reduce the monthly payment and increase the amount of total interest paid on the principal balance during the life of the loan (the unpaid interest and any penalties become
capitalized, i.e. added to the loan balance). Extension options include extended payment periods offered by the original lender and federal
loan consolidation. There are also other extension options including income-based repayment plans and hardship deferments.
Income-based repayment The
Income-based repayment (IBR) plan is an alternative to paying back federal student loans, which allows the borrowers to pay back loans based on how much they make, and not based how much money is actually owed. Income-based repayment is a federal program and is not available for private loans. IBR plans generally cap loan payments at 10 percent of the student borrower's income. Deferred interest accrues, and the balance owed grows. However, after a certain number of years, the balance of the loan is forgiven. This period is 10 years if the student borrower works in the public sector (government or a nonprofit) and 25 years if the student works at a for-profit. Debt forgiveness may be treated as taxable income, but can be excluded as taxable under certain circumstances, like bankruptcy and insolvency. Loans forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program are not considered taxable income.
Rising student debt Federal aid policies expanded loan eligibility and shifted from grants to loans starting the rising student debt. The Federal Pell Grant, a form of federal aid for higher education students that does not need to be re-paid, only provides a maximum annual grant of $6,195 per student for the 2019-2020 award year. With the average annual tuition cost for a four year in-state public university averaging $26,590 for the 2019–2020 academic year, many students are forced to take out student loans to bridge the gap between grants and their annual tuition costs. More students over the years have been actively enrolled in universities, with enrollment in for-profit universities growing by over 5 million in the past 10 years. For-profit universities enroll only 10% of the nations active college enrollment, yet hold nearly 20% of all federal student loan. With the median family income on a steady decline each year since 2007 up until 2012, it saw increasing difficulty for students to pay back college tuition out of savings and labor income. Between 2002 and 2012, public spending on education dropped 30%, while total enrollment at public colleges and universities jumped 34%. Ninety-two percent of student debt is loaned directly by the federal government.
Default Borrowers from families with low income with separation are more likely to default than those from higher-income families.
Default rates on student loans were found to be higher for women than for men. Borrowers entering repayment after their sophomore year are more likely to default. Loans to graduate and professional students are especially profitable because of high-interest rates and low default rates. Usually, the net flow of the default rate on student loans are strongly related to the nontraditional issuer and the flowing price of the tangible assets. However, in contrast to the positive correlation with the borrower, a change in the price normally leads to a negative influence on the default rate. These two aspects have been used to explain the Great Recession of student loan default, which had grown to nearly thirty percent. In 2005, the bankruptcy laws were changed so that private educational loans also could not be readily discharged. Supporters of this change claimed that it would reduce student loan interest rates; critics said it would increase the lenders' profit.
Criticism activist Nelson Terry at the
Occupy Wall Street event in
New York City protesting student loan debt, September 19, 2011In coverage through established media outlets, many borrowers have expressed feelings of victimization by the student loan corporations. There is a comparison between these accounts and the college credit card trend in America during the 2000s, though the amounts owed by students on their student loans are almost always higher than the amount owed on credit cards. Student loans cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy proceeding unless the debtor can demonstrate "undue hardship." After the passage of the bankruptcy reform bill of 2005, even private student loans are not discharged during bankruptcy. This provided a credit risk free loan for the lender, averaging 7 percent a year. In 2007,
Andrew Cuomo, then
Attorney General of New York State, led an investigation into lending and
anti-competitive practices between student lenders and universities. Specifically, many universities steered student borrowers to "preferred lenders" which resulted in those borrowers incurring higher interest rates. Some of these "preferred lenders" allegedly rewarded university financial aid staff with "
kickbacks". This has led to changes in lending policy at many major
American universities. Many universities have also rebated millions of dollars in fees back to affected borrowers. In 2007, a false claims lawsuit was filed on behalf of the federal government by former Department of Education researcher Jon Oberg against Sallie Mae, Nelnet, and other lenders. Oberg argued that the lenders overcharged the U.S. government and defrauded taxpayers of millions and millions of dollars. In August 2010, Nelnet settled the lawsuit and paid $55 million. Since 2005, Bankruptcy reform lead debtors have to take the responsibility of private student loan debt in bankruptcy which can decline debtors’ intention of reducing costly defaults to declare bankruptcy. As of 2013, many economists are predicting a new economic crisis will emerge as a result of an estimated $1 trillion of student loan debt currently impacting two thirds of graduating college students in America. However, most economists and investors believe that there is no student loan bubble. In his 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised student loan forgiveness. 64% of Americans back student loan forgiveness of $10,000 for individuals earning up to $150,000 annually. == Hong Kong ==