Daphne Garcia

To help families bridge the gap between high upfront college costs and funds they have available, the Department of Education enables parents of dependent undergraduate students to borrow Parent PLUS loans to pay for college expenses.

Approximately 43 million Americans have outstanding federal student loan debt, and many of these borrowers struggle to repay their loans. To make student loan repayment more manageable and decrease the risk of borrowers defaulting on their loans, the Department of Education offers some borrowers the option to enroll in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.

Although enrolling in postsecondary education programs while in prison may reduce recidivism and improve the employment prospects of incarcerated individuals after release, the costs and availability of such programs can be barriers to participation.

Although most students work while in postsecondary education, those who are lower income are less likely to have jobs connected to their field of study. To address this inequity and promote more private sector partnerships, the Office of Federal Student Aid conducted an experiment to help colleges participating in the Federal Work Study program (FWS) shift at least some students who receive FWS support from on-campus to off-campus jobs. Under the experiment, colleges that volunteered received

Scholarships to support college enrollment and persistence can be critical for low-income students, including those in the high need schools that participate in Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP).

Roughly two out of three students take out loans to pay for college, requiring them to make consequential decisions about how much to borrow and which type of loans.