The vast majority of colleges have begun to prepare themselves for what the Obama administration considers a likely transition of all student lending to the federal direct student loan program — but a solid majority of lending is still being made through the competing lender-based guaranteed loan program, according to an analysis of federal data by Student Lending Analytics. [...]
Before beginning the FAFSA process, you and your parents [if you're still 'connected' to them] should apply for a Federal Student Aid Personal Identification Number (PIN). [...]
Scores more colleges could face federal restrictions on financial aid once the government starts holding them accountable for their three-year student loan cohort default rates, judging from the first look at three-year rates made public by the U.S. Education Department today. [...]
On November 16th, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report that it was unable to assess the extent to which providers of private student loans used non-financial factors — such as race, gender or institution type — [...]