Committee on Education and Labor : U.S. House of Representatives

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Starting July 1, Students Could See Significant Savings on Federal College Loans, Say Democratic Lawmakers
New Law Provides Significant College Aid Relief for Millions of Students This Fall

Thursday, June 26, 2008

 

WASHINGTON, DC -- Starting July 1, interest rates on need-based federal student loans will drop, making these loans cheaper for millions of college students, Democratic lawmakers announced on a conference call with reporters today. The lawmakers, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who were joined on the call by a higher education expert and a student, also highlighted other new financial aid benefits that are kicking in for students this fall as a result of a new student aid law Congress enacted last fall.

Under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which was signed into law last September, interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans will drop from 6.8 percent to 6.0 percent on July 1st – making these loans more affordable for millions of low- and middle-income students. This is the first of step towards halving these interest rates – over the next few years these rates will continue to decrease until they reach 3.4 percent.

“With our economy putting enormous financial strains on Americans and tuition prices continuing to soar, these new financial aid benefits could not be coming at a more critical time for college students,” said Rep. Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and the author of the law along with U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. “As families continue to explore their financial aid options for the coming school year, it is crucial to make sure that students are fully aware that significant financial relief, whether in the form of cheaper student loans, increased grant aid, or up-front tuition assistance, is available to help them pay for college this fall.”

“Everyone who wants to go to college should be able to do so. The College Reduction Cost Act will help Ohio families – and families across the country – pay for college,” said Sen. Brown. “Investing in our nation’s students means investing in our nation’s future. I applaud the hard work of Chairmen Kennedy and Miller for their leadership. This legislation is a victory for college students everywhere.”

This interest rate cut will save the typical student borrower beginning college in 2008 about $2,570 over the life of his or her loan. Need-based federal student loans are primarily awarded to low- and middle-income students; according to the Congressional Research Service, 75 percent of need-based federal student loan borrowers have family incomes below $67,000. About 5.5 million students borrow these loans each year to help pay for college.

In addition, the law also provides the following benefits to students for the 2008-2009 school year:

  • Increases the Pell Grant scholarship by $490 (raising the maximum award to $4,731 for the 2008-2009 year). This is the first of five annual steps towards boosting the Pell Grant scholarship by a total of $1,090 by 2012. About 5.5 million low-income students receive Pell Grants each year.
  • Provides up-front tuition assistance to college students who commit to teaching high need subject areas in high-need public schools after graduation. Undergraduate students will be eligible to receive $4,000 in grants each year, for a maximum of $16,000. Graduate students will also be eligible for $4,000 a year in up-front assistance, for a maximum of $8,000.
  • Provides loan forgiveness to college graduates who enter public service professions after ten years of public service and federal student loan repayments. Eligible public servants include firefighters, public defenders and prosecutors, first responders, law enforcement officers, early childhood educators and men and women serving in the military, and more.

Altogether, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act will boost college financial aid by $20 billion over the next five years – and at no new cost to U.S. taxpayers. For more information on this law, and Democrats’ ongoing efforts to make college more affordable, click here.

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