Consolidation can improve your credit rating to help you qualify for mortgages and other major loans.
Proposed Tuition Freeze
By Emily Zaborniak
Escalating tuition is a major factor negatively affecting the enrollment of higher education. As a result, many politicians and education spokespersons are pushing the issue of college affordability to the forefront of their agendas. Recently, Governor Christine Gregoire proposed another way to financially assist prospective college students.
Gregoire proposed a tuition cap, effective for community and technical-college students in Washington state. The cap would limit the annual tuition to $2,586, which is the current cost. Over the past year, tuition jumped a significant five percent, inciting concern. The proposal is a small part of a very large $172.9-million-dollar plan to focus on the state’s higher education.
In a recent Seattle Times article, staff reporter Andrew Garber relayed Gregoire’s intention to encourage students. “It would send the right message,” Gregoire said, “Go to a community or technical [college], and then we hope you’ll transfer and get a four-year university degree.”
Additionally, the governor’s plan would cap the tuition at the University of Washington and Washington State, along with five percent of all other four-year public universities—a considerable portion for a beginning plan.
About $20 million of the plan’s budget will be allocated to keeping two-year colleges at their present costs. The governor’s plan would also expand WSU medical-education offerings in Spokane to train dentists, nurses, and doctors. That expansion would run about $15 million, in combination with a program offered by WSU, the UW, and Eastern Washington University.
The reaction to Gregoire’s plan has mostly been positive, but is not devoid of criticism. Specifically, state Senate Republican Floor Leader Mark Schoesler commented that the governor’s plan could have made a sharper attempt to cap tuition, “I’d like to see it capped at inflation,” he said. “I’m very concerned about affordability of tuition to our universities by middle-class families.
Senator Schoesler isn’t the only one to voice his concern for middle-class families. Recent press has focused around U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings’ speeches and Senator Ted Kennedy’s Sunshine Loan Act.
Several Democratic leaders showed outward support for the proposal, as well as the president of UW, Mark Emmert, calling it terrific news for the entire state.
According to Garber’s article, other highlights of the plan include: 1) $106.6 million for training programs and to increase enrollment at the state’s colleges and universities by 8,300—including more than 3,000 students in high-demand fields such as engineering. 2) $750,000 to create small-business-development centers at Grays Harbor, Kelso, and Pullman. 3) $19.3 million to increase university research and help turn research into new jobs.
Article Title : Proposed Tuition Freeze
Comment not found for this article.
+ Consolidate Your Private or Federal Student Loans Now! (Save Thousands!!)
Up-to-date information is outdated information.
Get it up-to-the-minute from Law School Loans.
At Law School Loans, America's top law school lender, we employ some of the best financial advisers and finance journalists in the student lending industry. Be sure you're getting the most accurate data from the most trusted source, and stay up-to-the-minute on your own student loans!
Just use the RSS feed below and add this to any of the channels you use to receive blogs, podcasts, and other syndicated material.
Click here to sign up for our weekly Newswire now!
Free Ebook With All Registrations
No matter how many times I said, Could you repeat that?, my consultant did, and never lost patience with me. In fact, as our conversation progressed, I found myself at one point asking my consultant what he would do if he were in this same situation, it was at that point that I knew I had given my trust to this consultant. He explained everything fully, answered all my qu... - Bart H. Albany, NY
Your Federal Benefits
If you are still in-school, you may reserve your consolidation for graduation with Law School Loans. By signing and returning your application now, you will be guaranteed the current low rates on your consolidation, and you will not have to think about your consolidation again until you enter repayment.
Spending just a few minutes now to complete your federal loan consolidation application can save you money for years to come.
A few minutes on the phone or online could save you $600 a month or more on your student loan payments.
or Call (800) 659-8344
-CLICK HERE-to request an appointment with one of our expert loan counselors.
Free Ebook With All Registrations
