Last March, President Barack Obama made an appearance at Northern Virginia Community College. According to some of the media, the Chief Executive was there to publicly celebrate the passing of a major part of his health bill. Yet this portion didn’t revolve around the controversial battle for insurance reform. Actually, it had everything to do with how students will get large chunks of their financial aid, everything from scholarships to loans to student loans.
One thing that has been seriously under reported over about this new legislation is the bill’s title. It’s in truth called “The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act”. Most mainstream media has egregiously omitted that education reform is also part of this act, and if it goes according to President Obama’s plans, it will have an effect on all forms of schools, including online ones.
Admittedly, a considerable amount of the bill has to do with elementary and secondary schools. Yet it is hard to deny the current American education system must be reformed from the ground up. You can’t have students ready for graduate and post-graduate work if they can’t read when they graduate high school.
The key bit of legislation though revolves around scholarships. Back in the day, when students applied for them, they got the money straight from the federal government. When the legislature that initially created student law systems was signed by then President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, students got their loans directly from the federal government, which also administered them.
As time progressed and the administrations changed, it was decided it would save the government money if the administrative aspects were handled by banks. That turned out to not be the case when the banks started charging higher interest rates than the history of the entire program, as much as 19%. In the end more loans defaulted than ever before. Couple this with the current economic recession and the student loan program was hemorrhaging tax payer dollars.
This new legislation returns all administration back to the government. Obama expects less defaults due to lowered interest rates, and the money the government will generate from these loans can be plowed back into Pell Grant and related grants and scholarships. If all goes according to plan the Pell will go from a ceiling of $5,350 to $6,000 by 2011. Obviously, one of the people who will be keeping an eye on all this is the college financial officer, who should be consulted on this.
That isn’t all the President will do with the savings, either. He announced a portion of money saved will go to online and community colleges. This is because these schools simply cost as much as 60% less than the bigger universities. If the community college has an online division, that’s even better. All the school has to prove is it is an accredited Title IV institution.
“For a long time, our student loan system has worked for banks and financial institutions”, Obama said that day. “Today, we’re finally making our student loan system work for students and our families. But we’re also doing something more. From the moment I was sworn into office, I’ve spoken about the urgent need for us to lay a new foundation for our economy and for our future…we can rightly say the foundation on which America’s future will be built is stronger than it was one year ago.”
If you were to ask the general public what was the actual title of the bill Obama signed, don’t be surprised if you get a blank stare. It’s actually called “The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act”. Most media pundits grossly ignored the second half of that title. What’s important is if it goes as planned it could have a very big impact on education, including online colleges.
Admittedly, a considerable amount of the bill has to do with elementary and secondary schools. Yet it is hard to deny the current American education system must be reformed from the ground up. You can’t have students ready for graduate and post-graduate work if they can’t read when they graduate high school.
Probably the most important part of this education reform revolves around pell grants for college. When the loans were initially created by then President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, students got the money directly from the federal government, which also administered them.
As time progressed and the administrations changed, it was decided it would save the government money if the administrative aspects were handled by banks. That turned out to not be the case when the banks started charging higher interest rates than the history of the entire program, as much as 19%. In the end more loans defaulted than ever before. Couple this with the current economic recession and the student loan program was hemorrhaging tax payer dollars.
One key aspect of the new Obama plan is it cuts out the banking middle men, again returning the student loan system completely back into the Board of Education’s hands. Obama expects that not only will there be less defaults because the interest rates will be lowered, but the profits generated from these loans will be plowed back into increasing the Pell Grant and related financial aid programs.
That isn’t all the President will do with the savings, either. He announced a portion of money saved will go to online and community colleges. This is because these schools simply cost as much as 60% less than the bigger universities. If the community college has an online division, that’s even better. All the school has to prove is it is an accredited Title IV institution.
“For a long time, our student loan system has worked for banks and financial institutions”, Obama said that day. “Today, we’re finally making our student loan system work for students and our families. But we’re also doing something more. From the moment I was sworn into office, I’ve spoken about the urgent need for us to lay a new foundation for our economy and for our future…we can rightly say the foundation on which America’s future will be built is stronger than it was one year ago.
As the rules for lending, scholarships and college grants are changing, all avenues should be explored. Find out what is available with online college grants and see if corporate sponsorship, private grants, or other means are compatible with your needs. Don’t overlook Pell grants, a backbone of financial aid for those who qualify.