The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

Stafford loans
Featured image for “The Best College Loan for Students”
May 27, 2014

The Best College Loan for Students

As recently as the early 1990s, most students did not take out college loans. Today about two out of every three students borrow to pay for college due to the runaway cost of college. The typical student borrower is now leaving school with debt of $29,400. Just the outstanding federal college loan debt now exceeds credit-card debt. Is $29,400 a...
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Featured image for “Making Enormous Profits off College Loan Borrowers”
August 7, 2013

Making Enormous Profits off College Loan Borrowers

Any day now President Obama is going to sign legislation that will at least temporarily lower the interest rates on federal student loans. This might sound like a welcome development, but it isn’t because the federal government will be continuing to make huge profits off parents and students who borrow. The legislation could eventually make the financial pain worse for...
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May 14, 2012

Stunning: How Many Are Borrowing for College

One aspect of the top story that appeared in yesterday’s New York Times shocked me. The number of students who borrow for college is much higher than I thought. I’ve routinely seen estimates that two-thirds of students take out loans for college. The New York Times, however, conducted an analysis that concluded that 94% of students who earn a bachelor’s...
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May 14, 2012

Stunning: How Many Are Borrowing for College

One aspect of the top story that appeared in yesterday’s New York Times shocked me. The number of students who borrow for college is much higher than I thought. I’ve routinely seen estimates that two-thirds of students take out loans for college. The New York Times, however, conducted an analysis that concluded that 94% of students who earn a bachelor’s...
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April 26, 2012

Why Private Student Loans Are Scary

On my college blog this week, I’ve been focusing on what you need to know about borrowing for college. If you missed them, my previous two posts shared advice on federal student and parent loans: What You Need to Know About Borrowing for College How Parents Can Borrow for College Today I’m exploring private college loans. Before turning to private...
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June 23, 2011

The Nuts and Bolts of Stafford Loans

This is the time of year when colleges start sending their bills out to new and returning students. And that’s why this is also the time of year when parents and students begin inquiring about college loans. This is as good a time as any then  to answer some questions about Stafford Loans, which are the most popular federal college...
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April 26, 2010

4 Things You Need to Know About Federal Student Loans

It’s that time of year when parents and students are thinking about college loans. A few days ago, I wrote a college blog post that answered this question: Federal Student Loans: Where Do I Apply? Today, I want to answer three questions about Stafford Loans, which are the most popular federal student loans. Here’s the first question: Question No. 1:...
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