Sure, I'm like almost 35. But I still think about student loans a lot.
That's why some news from California caught my eye last week. Stanford
University announced that it wouldn't charge tuition to students whose
families rake in less than $100K per year (SFGate.com 2.20.08). The
move by Stanford isn’t a wholly charitable one — it was made in part
because of pressure from lawmakers who saw the well-funded school's
tuition spiraling out of control.
The issue of mounting tuition costs and mountainous loans for students
isn't a new one. But the pressure on students just keeps amping. The
average student-loan balance for those finishing college now approaches
$20K (USAToday.com 2.19.08). And partly because of the credit crunch
and banks' subprime troubles, private lenders' rates will likely rise —
and their standards for who gets a loan will tighten.
By
Josh Kimball , Executive Editor
