Monday, January 19, 2009

Poor Economy Spells Bad News For Students Needing Aid

By Ronaldo Q Cacheezey

The downturn of the economy and decreasing money available for borrowing are affecting another area for American families. Student loans for US students wanting to attend college have traditionally been accessible, but it seems as though this reliable source of student aid may be going South. Financial institutions, which used to lend student aid under the Federal government backed student loans, are finding this is not as profitable as it once was in the current crisis in the financial districts.

Word of a state agency pulling out of providing education assistance, has surfaced. This will affect 100 colleges and universities alone, and the fear exists that many more will become similarly affected. The reason behind this drastic move is cited as being the credit squeeze.

Some student loans has traditionally been supported and provided by some of the largest banks like Citibank, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. They have ceased supporting the low-risk security that money have always been behind. On top of this, financial experts are predicting that funds for college will start to become more cost prohibitive, putting extra strain in this area.

The major source of student loans is a federal government scheme in which it backs loans to means-tested students. The money for college are often used for tuition fees and then a further private loan is usually needed to cover general expenses. It is these private loans which will become more difficult to obtain. As yet, there is no evidence to suggest that lenders are failing to support their obligations to the federal loans.

The main effect of this problem will be felt by low income families and those with a poor credit rating. There are parents who have been negatively affected by the mortgage crisis who have college aged children. These young people could find themselves disallowed by loan providers because of the parents' low credit score.

The current estimation is that 100,000 students will not qualify for the Federal government or private student loans because of credit rating issues. This, coupled with the reduction in the number of loans actually available, will make attending college difficult for many US students.

Students caught up in this financial crisis and who are unable to obtain student aid still have a few solutions left. You should go and talk to the student aid department at the school you're wanting to attend to see if there are any scholarships or grants available to you. They may also be able to get you enrolled in a State aid program or find you a source of aid not available to just anyone.

Should all your efforts fail and you find yourself unable to procure student aid for your College studies, you may have to resort to an old school way of getting an education. By working your way through College! Yeah, it's an unheard of option of getting an education these days, but some students still get an education this way. You'll just have to cut back on the parties and road trips. It all comes down to how bad you want to go to College. - 16492

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