affordable college

A recent change has led to some colleges hesitating to help students affected by the economic downturn.

In its first year, the forgiveness program turned away 71% of borrowers because of a paperwork technicality. Now, the department says it's fixing that roadblock.

Mike Calhoun rang the alarm bell early on about the subprime mortgage debacle — before reckless lending drove the economy into recession. These days, he's sounding the alarm about student loans.

Some borrowers default on their student loans at much higher rates than others — and they're not the borrowers with the highest debt.

The department's own inspector general says student loan companies aren't following the rules, and that the government isn't doing enough to hold them accountable.