ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The Horrors of Defaulting on Education Debt - "a cautionary tale of the consequences of defaulting on education debt, based on the experiences of seven borrowers of federal and private student loans," from Mark Kantrowitz (Publisher of FinAid and FastWeb)
10 Secrets to Raising More than $15,000 for College - from U.S. News & World Report.
Private Loans for Student Can Become Traps - article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune that says "The term 'private student loans' can be confusing. It's sometimes used to refer to the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL). . .Private loans, or alternative loans. . .are different. They work more like credit cards, with variable interest rates as high as 18 percent."
Tax Credit for Textbook Costs - a new website, www.textbookaid.org, provides information about how college students can take advantage of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which temporarily expands the Hope college tax credit in multiple ways, including the inclusion of textbooks and other course materials as reimbursable expenses for the first time.
"We Rent Movies, So Why Not Textbooks?" - article from The New York Times on a company that rents textbooks to college students.
"How Much Money Should I Borrow for College?" - article from U.S. News and World Report that looks at modest borrowing, along with other ways to pay for college.
Average College Credit Card Debt Rises with Fees,Tuition - article from USA Today regarding a study by Sallie Mae finding that "the average undergraduate carried $3173 in credit card debt last year, the highest level since Sallie Mae began collecting this data in 1998."
Who Can You Trust to Help Repair Credit? - listen to the Marketplace interview with LA Times columnist David Lazarus about why he is skeptical about certain firms who offer credit card assistance.
2008 FastWeb Student Loan Survey - information from a survey FastWeb conducted to help identify the reasons why some borrowers prefer private student loans over federal education loans, to measure the impact of the student loan credit crunch on prospective borrowers, and to generate ideas for improving the student loan programs. One of the key findings of the survey includes: "The primary reasons why families borrowed private student loans included. . .being unaware of federal loan options."

The posting of these articles/websites does not imply endorsement or support by OSU.