This week I’ve been blogging about ES’s recent report on student loan default rates and the report’s big message–that institutions matter in preventing loan defaults.
But what steps, exactly, can a college or university take to reduce loan defaults? I encourage anyone who wants to answer that question to read the whole report for its many, [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Default Rates'
Step One: Make a Plan
What the Numbers Say: Institutions Matter
Yesterday I blogged about six HBCU’s in Texas that successfully reduced their student loan default rates without changing the students they enroll. These colleges provide an example of what institutions are capable of when resources and attention are focused on reducing loan defaults and increasing student success. But my colleague Robin Smiles and I looked [...]
Death! Destruction! Student Loans!
Education Sector released a super-sized Charts You Can Trust today looking at the past 15 years of financial aid, and the constant growth in student borrowing. Below is Chart 1 from the report, and the trend line is pretty clear. From 1992–93 through the latest NPSAS in 2007–08, the percent of students borrowing has increased [...]
Fudging The Numbers
Technical Career Institute, a for-profit college in New York City, has found a new and creative way to keep its students from defaulting on federal student loans–paying off the debt. Inside Higher Ed reports today on an audit report released this week by the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, which found that TCI [...]
Default Rate Amendment a Step in the Right Direction
Inside Higher Ed’s article on student loan “cohort default rates”—the percent of students not repaying their student loans as calculated by the Department of Education—is well worth reading for a good background on how we ended up with the current 2-year calculation. It also talks about the potential implications of a proposed amendment by Rep. [...]
The Debate over Student Loan Auctions
At the Higher Education Finance Working Group policy briefing yesterday, the discussion, in true financial aid style, was lively, a little snarky**, and, at times, thoroughly confusing. One area where it did shed some light was the debate over loan auctions in the federal loan program (Inside Higher Ed writes it up here).
In the current [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.