The bill for higher education in this country is terribly high.

The Governor or the Legislature must not not cut down Private and Religious University funds or grants.

Sigh petition to allow lawmakers to forgive Student Loans.

This petition is about the amount of debt students like myself will have upon finishing school

It would be a lot easier to contribute to society and economy.

I didnt know i owed at the time of loan ...i thought cuz i was on welfare as a single mom it was paid for..i did not have a ged or finished high school at the time of loan.They chared me 10,000 or more since the loan was taken in 1986... i cant pay all that back in 57years old and got laid off work 6mths ago. I filed paperwork 4years ago to help me and i never heard back from the government.

Les help our students with loans out.

STUDENT LOANS

We parents signed a plus loan for our children for college as they did not have credit worthiness,now they are unable to find jobs and we are burned with the payment which we cannot pay. These were student loans up to 100,000. for their education We need forgiveness too.

Add your name to the list of people asking the Portland School Board not to cut Portland Outdoor School from the school budget.

By: Student Loan Counselors at R&B Solutions With $67 billion of student loans in default, the Department of Education has turned to private debt-collection companies to pursue borrowers. The Department of Education spent a billion dollars last year to collection agencies that collect on defaulted student loans. The reality is that almost no one should default if adequate default prevention and aversion strategies were put into effect. Delinquencies and default rates are rising as indebted student loan borrowers struggle to repay hefty student loans. Americans are still recovering from the mortgage crisis, which resulted in millions of Americans losing their jobs and homes. Now a new crisis is affecting students as they have large loan debt, and they cannot find jobs or earn a high enough income to repay the debt causing them to default on their loans. There is a solution though; most students would never enter the collection process to begin with if the Department of Education focused on assisting students with repayment options already available. We urge you to sign our petition and share it with everyone you know to protect student loan borrowers from collection agencies by providing students with the assistance necessary to guide them through the loan repayment process. Sources: Bloomberg, Department of Education, LA Times and NY Times.

Joe Courtney's Bill, H.R. 3826, calls for maintaining interest rates on Subsidized Stafford Direct Student Loans(federal loans) at 3.4%. If this bill is not passed by July 1, interest rates will double to 6.8%. For students who take out the maximum yearly loan of 23,000, they will incur an additional $11,300 of student loan debt if the loan repayment period is 20 years. In a time when higher education is extremely important in finding a secure job, students who challenge themselves and value education should not be punished with higher interest rates and greater student loan debt. In 2007, the College Cost Reduction Act slowly decreased the interest rate on Subsidized Stafford Direct Student Loans from 6.8% to 3.4%. This was an outstanding achievement, providing relief for the 10 million students who take out Stafford Student Loans each year. This was a 5 year plan and is set to expire on July 1st 2012. Students all around the U.S. will be hurt, unless congress acts. A college education is a worthwhile investment and the data supports this conclusion: Unemployment rate of people not finishing High School: 16.5% Unemployment rate of people finishing High School:10.7% Unemployment rate of people completing some college: 8.5% Unemployment rate of people completing college or higher: 4.5% Keeping kids in school and allowing them to pursue their potential will promote a more solid work force. Increased college dropout rates directly correlate with the threat of student loan debt. College dropouts face reality without a degree or a way to pay off their student loan debt. In 2011, student loan debt exceeded credit card debt, the first time in history. This unprecedented landmark serves as an indication of the struggle that middle and working class families are going through for wanting to give their children a quality education. Being denied the advantageous possibility of attending college has its lifelong negative effects. Without financial support, students are left behind, not encouraged to strive for excellence. In the 1980's the U.S. was first in college graduation rates, but now has fallen to 12th internationally. After college, people are overwhelmingly indebted. In a time when high paying jobs are not easy to land, recent graduates settle for lower paying jobs. These graduates, getting paid less than what their college degree should earn them, are unable pay off their debt. What happened to the “American Dream” in which all citizens could succeed? Passing this bill would allow students to feel less worried about their student loan debt following their studies. This is a step to prevent an even wider achievement gap between the very wealthy and the rest of the population. Please help congress make the right decision as it is in our nation’s best welfare.