Talk:Student loans in the United States

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[edit] history of tax deductibility of student loans

If I recall correctly, US student loans have a checkered history of alternating between between tax deductibility and non-deductibility: sometimes the interest (and perhaps even principal) have been payable with a debtor's before-tax income, other times not. Sometimes their deductibility has been only available to those who itemize, other times not. Perhaps hardest of all is borrowing money with hopes of a continued favorable tax situation that evaporates with changes in the tax code. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Walter Dufresne (talk • contribs) 18:01, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] loans can't be paid off

I've heard a few people say that some student loans "can't be refinanced." I don't understand how that would work. Why can't you pay off one loan and with another loan? Isn't that 'refinancing?' Do student loans prevent you from making more than your monthly payment?! --68.228.47.100 07:19, 10 July 2007 (UTC) Who said loans can't be paid off I've heard that you can get credit cards to pay off your student loans and then claim bankrupt. I don't know if people are allowed to refinance their student loans but I don't see why they can't, isn't all about making money anyway? All these rules have me very worried about paying back my student loans, to the point that I am beginning to wonder if I did the right thing by borrowing money to help support my family while getting a better education.97.82.242.185 (talk) 03:21, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] government loans and interest rates

The section on private loans and interest rates notes in passing that "pending legislation would raise government student loan rates to similar rates as private student loans." This should be expanded and include citations and links to the pending legislation.Camille Allyn (talk) 20:46, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interest rate data?

Could we get a table going with actual sample interest rates for the various types of loans, at given time(s)? Maybe annual? Doesn't have to be comprehensive, but it'd be nice to compare e.g. some common student loan rates with LIBOR at any given time. Tks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.161.5.208 (talk) 11:57, 17 January 2008 (UTC)


We calculate student loan rates for all loan types (stafford, plus, private, consolidation) based upon LIBOR, PRIME and other indexes for dozens of lenders. We have a large audience/sample of students and parents on-line so the data we see is generally valid and we cross-reference with lender information. We can dynamically render apples-apples comparisons of these complex instruments and would entertain producing a table, or an on-line tool of some sort, for Wikipedia in a way that would be useful to the Wikipedia audience and consistent with the integrity of the site. Let me know how we can help.

Cwmstevens (talk) 22:26, 18 February 2008 (UTC)cwmstevens

[edit] Criticisms

Most of the critism was erased, but I reintroduced this quote:

According to Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren in a Wall Street Journal piece by John Hechinger, 'Student-loan debt collectors have power that would make a mobster envious.'

Because the political group advocating criticism of student loan lenders was actually a secondary source -- a professor still said this, and it's still a criticism.

Needs a good reference though -- but not necessarily erasible.

Also, looks bad to simply leave the subject line open.