President Obama has proposed a federal student loan overhaul that focuses on eliminating the long-standing Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and using the savings to provide permanent, mandatory funding for Pell Grants. This would make the Pell Grant program a new entitlement program for low-income students. (Social Security is another example of a federal entitlement program.) In place of FFELP student loans, President Obama’s plan would provide student loans entirely through the federal Direct Loan Program.

Currently, federal Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans are available through both the FFEL Program and the Direct Loan Program. It’s just the funding source that distinguishes the two programs.  FFELP loans are funded by banks and other commercial lending institutions that get subsidies from the Department of Education in order to offer students lower interest rates and fees. Direct Lending loans are administered by students’ schools and financed by the U.S. Department of Education itself, using funds from the U.S. Treasury. In the Direct Loan Program, students monitor their loan transactions and repayment process through a 24/7 website, the Direct Loan  Servicing Center.

President Obama’s student loan overhaul would do away with the FFEL program (which was prone to conflict-of-interest corruption exposed through investigation in 2007), transfer all outstanding FFELP loans over to the Direct Loan Program, and issue all new federal students loans as Direct Loans.

Hello?

It may be either the lingering effects of the private loan scandal or the more recent effect of the credit crisis, but whatever the reason, the expected loud resistance to the president’s student loan overhaul proposal has not materialized.  This has surprised student loan watchdogs, but pleased student advocates who have long called for a more efficient and more helpful financial aid system. Keep an eye on higher education debate in Washington and check back here for news of the student loan overhaul progress.

Con Artists Offering “Free” Access to Government Grants Come Out of the Woodwork
Here’s one old profession that always does well during hard times: con artists promising you an easy, gold-paved road to free money, including government grants for education.

Watch out for these Internet grant scams promising to send you information on free government grants and displaying recognizable brand names of people or companies that allegedly endorse their grant info product. If you give your bank or credit card information to one of these grant scam websites, you are opening yourself up to being charged for services that you didn’t agree to or even know about.

Grant Scams: Just $1.99!
There are dozens of these grant scam sites, which offer to send you a CD of grant resources for “just a shipping fee” of a couple of dollars. All you have to do is give them your credit card number or bank account number so they can charge you for the shipping. Sound like a great deal? Well, buried deep in their fine print is the catch: once they have your credit card number, they charge you anywhere from $49 to $100 a month, continuously, if you don’t cancel your “membership” in their “service” within the cancellation period – often, just 7 days (…if you’re lucky. Judging from the complaints we found on watchdog sites, it’s very difficult to contact anyone, and if you are able to reach someone, it’s very difficult to get reimbursed.) Even if you manage to cancel, you may have given away your credit card number to identity thieves.

“Don’t Fall for Their Grant Scam; We’re the Only Genuine Article on the Web!”
Many of these grant scam sites, which are cleverly exploiting both the new economic stimulus bill and people’s fears of a protracted recession, actually warn you in great detail of other sites’ scamminess, only to assure you that they, of course, are genuine – and to suggest that you buy their grant information instead. Nice.

On March 3, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission and the national Better Business Bureau published separate press releases warning consumers about the grant scams. Here’s a quote from the BBB:

E-mail messages may ask for bank account information so that the operators can deposit consumers’ share of the stimulus directly into their bank account. Instead, the scammers drain consumers’ accounts of money and disappear. Or bogus e-mail may appear to be from government agencies and ask for information to “verify” that you qualify for a payment. The scammers use that information to commit identity theft. Some e-mail scams don’t ask for information, but provide links to find out how to qualify for funds. By clicking on the links, consumers have downloaded malicious software or spyware that can be used to make them a victim of identity theft.

Some of the grant scam sites are gone now, taken down from the Web in the days following the FTC and BBB press releases. But they’ll be back, with a different website and a new come-on… and the same old scam: “Give us your credit card and we’ll show you the way to free money.” Going back to school is a good idea when you lose your job and want to start over – but don’t let Internet scammers fool you into giving them your credit card number for information you can get for free on legitimate grant and scholarship sites. If those testimonials sound too good to be true, well, you’re right.

Read the entire Better Business Bureau grant scam press release
Read the Federal Trade Commission grant scam press release at CourseAdvisor.com

“I’m looking for college grants and scholarships – can you help me get one?” That’s a question we’re asked a lot at EducationGrant.com, and like many questions in life, it has a mixed answer. Right away we should say that the answer is no, we do not offer grants and scholarships ourselves, so you can’t get money for college directly from us. But yes, we are a grant and scholarship resource site, so we can help you with ideas about where and how to find the funding you need.

FAFSA ASAP
If you’re looking for college grants, the first thing you should do is submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, as soon as possible. The FAFSA is your ticket to federal grants such as the Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Teach Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, and the National SMART Grant. The Pell Grant program just received a funding boost, so there are more grants, with more money, available this year. Everyone who qualifies for a Pell Grant will get one.

Grants and scholarships from your State
The FAFSA is also required in order to be eligible for financial aid from your state. All 50 states just received stimulus bill money for higher education and they rely on the FAFSA to determine who needs state grants. If you’re looking for college grants and scholarships, contact your state higher education agency to find out what you may be eligible for.

Ask your school, employer, your union, and trade associations related to your job
When you’re looking for college grants and scholarships, sometimes it pays to look right in your own back yard. Many industry trade associations offer scholarships to students seeking to excel in a relevant career. You may also qualify for scholarships offered by your local university or community college, or for tuition reimbursement from your employer.

Scholarships by student or program type
Many government and nongovernment funding sources offer grants and scholarships to students who meet specific criteria. Examples of these grant providers are the Imagine America Foundation Career Education Scholarships for Adult Students, the Hispanic College Fund Scholarship, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Student Assistance Programs (for people looking for college grants to pursue medical and allied health careers. The federal student aid scholarship database that can be searched by anyone looking for college grants. Just enter keywords that are most relevant to you or your planned course of study.

Scholarship searching is part of the deal
There is no such thing as free money. Generally speaking, higher education scholarships and grants don’t have to be repaid, but they usually require a measure of commitment that starts with the financial aid search. You may not find all the funding you need in one place, but you may be able to cover all your education costs with a combination of funds from multiple sources. Looking for the college grants that most meet your needs may take some time and effort, but it’s the first step on a rewarding journey.