YDA Action Issue :: College Affordability

Take Action to Make College Affordable Now

The current Democratic Congress is working hard to pass college affordability reforms. Current legislation is aimed to help facilitate the current financial aid process for student borrowers and their families, and to hold colleges accountable for the quickly rising costs of higher education.  Read below for details about some of the provisions included in the House and Senate bills.  This legislation is set to come before Congress as early as next week, so contact your Senator or Representative today to show your support for these important reforms and to ensure that a college affordability bill is passed.

Take Action Today:

  • Write Congress today urging passage of college affordability legislation.
    CLICK HERE

Bill Names and Links:

House:

Senate:

If enacted into law, these bills will:

Make Loans More Borrower Friendly

  • Cut interest rates in HALF on subsidized student loans
  • Guarantee that monthly loan payments are capped at 15 percent of a borrowers income
  • Forgive loans after 20 years for borrowers in economic hardship
  • Increase federal loan limits to allow additional assistance in paying for college expenses and to reduce reliance on costly private loans

Ensure that the Student Loan System Is Working for the STUDENTS, not lenders

  • Ensure colleges recommend lenders to their students based on the best interest of students, not the self-interest of financial aid officers
  • Prevent any conflicts of interest by prohibiting payments from lenders to schools/school officials
  • Cut outrageous subsidies to lenders, and redirecting these savings to students

Expand the Pell Grant Scholarship

  • Raise the maximum Pell Grant by over $1000
  • Expand eligibility to include more students with financial need, including increasing the income level at which a student is automatically eligible for the maximum Pell grant

Simplify the Financial Aid Process by Reforming FAFSA

  • Create a new 2-page EZ-FAFSA for low-income students, and phasing out the current 7-page FAFSA
  • Create a pilot program that allows students to receive an aid estimate in their junior year of high school

Encourage and Reward Public Service

  • Provide loan forgiveness for public service employees such as first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses, public defenders, prosecutors, early childhood educators, librarians and others.

Hold Colleges Responsible for Rising Costs

  • Hold colleges accountable for rising costs by making objective data about the cost of colleges readily available to students and parents

Improve Teacher Quality, Training and Retention

  • Provide upfront tuition assistance to qualified undergraduate students who commit to teaching in public schools in high-poverty communities or high-need subject areas
  • Promote high-quality and effective teacher preparation programs for new and prospective teachers
  • Focus on recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers to help high-need schools

Incentive Philanthropic Involvement

  • Create partnerships between government entities and philanthropic organizations through matching challenge grants aimed at increasing the number of first generation and low-income college students

Make Landmark Investments in Minority Educational Institutions

  • Guaranteeing over $500 over 5 years to historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally-controlled colleges and universities, Alaska and Hawaiian native institutions, and predominately black institutions

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