Student Loans

Higher education can lead to financial independence. But the vast majority of low-income consumers cannot afford college or vocational training without financial help. Not knowing any better, many of these students attend poor quality vocational schools that do not prepare them for the jobs they will need to pay back the loans. Still others cannot complete their coursework due to financial pressures. Unable to pay back their loans, they end up facing the government’s vast collection powers.

NCLC Special Reports and Press Releases

Report: No Way Out: Student Loans, Financial Distress, and the Need for Policy Reform, June 2006, PDF (284KB)

Press Release: Serious Questions Need Answering to Back Up Job-Placement and Graduation Claims of Proprietary Schools Report, June 2005, PDF (238KB)

Student Loan Law

Help NCLC make a difference

Policy Analysis

Comments to the Department of Education on Federal Student Aid Program Interim Final Regulations, September 8, 2006 PDF (50KB)

Higher Education Act Reauthorization and Related Legislative Analysis

Impact Litigation

Social Security Offset Litigation: Guillermety v. Secretary of Education

Consumer Information

Frequently Asked Questions

When Your Social Security Benefits Are Taken to Pay Back Money to the Federal Government

Social Insecurity: Understanding Federal Benefits Offsets

Background Information and Resources

Surveys, links, and more