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Credit crisis may make college loans more costly
WASHINGTON - Many college students across the nation will begin to see higher costs for loans this spring, while others will be turned away by banks altogether as the credit crisis roiling the U.S. economy spreads into yet another sector, student lenders and Wall Street firms say.
Students seeking federally guaranteed loans, which are popular because they offer fixed, below-market rates, could be required to pay higher fees to borrow money, according to university finance directors and lenders.
An even greater burden may fall on those taking out private loans, which have become increasingly common as students look for new funding sources to finance the soaring costs of college.
These loans often have variable rates, and they are projected to jump this year.
And at community and for-profit colleges, some students may be denied private loans entirely because the financial industry considers them riskier investments than their peers at other educational institutions.
"It's a little bit of a crunch. The money will be there; it's just going to be more expensive," said Yvonne Hubbard, director of student financial services at the University of Virginia.
"The federally guaranteed loan program is always going to be available ... but the good deals are harder to find. On the private side, loans are getting more and more expensive."
Many lenders are scaling back their activities because of turmoil in the credit markets, initially caused by the subprime-mortgage meltdown last year, and cuts in federal subsidies, firms said.
Others have moved out of the business.
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