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Resource Library

Welcome to our library. Here you’ll find access to a plethora of information from third-party sources.

Feel free to return often as new content is added consistently.

While we do our best to provide access to objective information it should be noted that the views, information, or opinions expressed through any of the links within are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of HUG Your Student Debt, Inc. “HUG” and/or its employees or representatives.

Date:
03/30/2018

In October, I wrote a column about Jed Shafer, a teacher in Oregon who found himself on the wrong end of the student loan repayment bureaucracy.

Mr. Shafer thought he was following the rules to qualify for the public service loan forgiveness program, and spent years communicating carefully with the loan servicers who collected his payments on behalf of the federal government. But it turns out he hadn’t been doing it correctly after all.

The result? He learned he was going to...

Date:
05/17/2017

More than 400,000 student loan borrowers may have placed their faith in a government program with an uncertain future.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program promises to cancel any remaining student debt for those who work for the government or nonprofits if they have been making on-time payments for 10 years. Many teachers, public defenders, Peace Corps workers, and law enforcement officers fit the qualifications.



This October marks the 10th year of...

Date:
03/28/2018

Student loan debt

Getty Images

Here's a secret to help your child grasp the real impact of student loan debt: Don't just think about the huge sum you've borrowed — focus on what you'll repay each month.

About 30 percent of college students said they feel confident with the financial terms associated with student loans, according to a survey by College Ave Student Loans. The lender recently polled 1,075 undergraduates.

The biggest issue that these young...

Date:
09/08/2018

A few colleges and universities help students avoid crippling debt by offering generous financial aid packages.

When it comes to debt, last year's college grads who borrowed student loans took on nearly $30,000 in loans to pay for their education, according to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey. For that reason, college affordability is a top concern among many prospective students.

Schools like Harvard University in Massachusetts and the University of Pennsylvania...

Date:
01/05/2018

Americans are shouldering around $1.48 trillion in student loan debt, and around 70% of college students who earn a bachelor’s degree borrow to attend college, according to research from Oliver Wyman, a consulting firm that focuses on banking. An employee benefit that’s gaining popularity could help ease that burden, but it may not be as good of a deal as employees think.

Employers like Aetna, Fidelity, and Penguin Random House now contribute money to their employees’ student loan...

Date:
02/16/2019

What is CLEP?

CLEP (the College-Level Examination Program®) offers 33 exams that cover intro-level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits at more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.

CLEP was created to help individuals with prior knowledge in a college course subject earn their degree efficiently and inexpensively. That prior learning could have taken place through advanced high school courses,...

Date:
02/16/2019

Amid a massive shortage of nurses, hospitals and other medical facilities are offering big hiring bonuses and other incentives to attract and retain talent.

Five-figure signing bonuses, free housing, college tuition for employees and their children.

Hospitals and other medical facilities are getting so desperate to recruit and retain nurses they're offering all sorts of pricey perks and incentives.

"These are some of the grandiose examples we've heard from our members,"...

Date:
12/31/2017

Nestled along the San Diego coastline, Point Loma Nazarene University is a world away from Wall Street. But the Christian liberal arts college is at the forefront of financial innovation.

Last fall, Point Loma began offering some of its 4,500 students money to pay for college in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings. The model, known as an income share agreement, requires colleges and students to take a chance on each other, a shared responsibility that attracted Point...

Date:
03/28/2018

Here's a secret to help your child grasp the real impact of student loan debt: Don't just think about the huge sum you've borrowed — focus on what you'll repay each month.

About 30 percent of college students said they feel confident with the financial terms associated with student loans, according to a survey by College Ave Student Loans. The lender recently polled 1,075 undergraduates.

The biggest issue that these young borrowers are missing is the fact that, at some point...

Date:
04/19/2017

 As Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Katie Fretwell ’81 can attest, discussions about how much prospective students and/or their families can expect to pay for an Amherst education can often be confusing, complicated and emotional for the uninitiated. Today, those conversations may get a little bit easier.

calculator with My inTuition logo This morning, MyinTuition, a simple online calculator that quickly generates best estimates of the cost to attend the College, went live on the...

Date:
04/11/2017

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s much-heralded new program for free tuition at state colleges comes with a huge catch: You have to sign years of your life away to get it.

Under a provision that was added to the tuition bill at the last moment, students who get a free ride at CUNY and SUNY schools must live and work in New York state for up to four years after graduation, or be forced to pay the money back.

The amendment — which was not part of

Cuomo’s original offer of free college...

Date:
10/03/2017

 The nation’s capital is one of the most educated but also most indebted regions of the country, with one in five residents shouldering student loans. That debt load is an added burden for residents already struggling with the city’s high cost of living. New legislation seeks to ease the strain.

D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) introduced a bill Tuesday to create a student loan forgiveness program for District residents. He is proposing the city cover up to five years of...

Date:
01/12/2018

Broward College paid $5.6 million after a federal government review determined that more than 2,000 students received financial aid they weren’t entitled to.

The payment, imposed by the U.S. Department of Education, is significantly more than the $18,000 the college said in 2015 that it would likely have to pay after an initial federal review. At that time, the college acknowledged only that eight students were improperly paid.

The final amount became public this month after...

Date:
12/29/2018

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Friday unveiled set of measures intended to aid New Yorkers struggling with "exploding" student loan debt.

The proposals, which will be part of Cuomo's State of the State Address next week, include new financial disclosure requirements for colleges and universities, and new consumer protection standards for the loan industry.



Cuomo also plans to create a student loan ombudsman within his administration to help resolve complaints and enact...

Date:
11/17/2017

Student loan debt continues to be a huge burden for many Americans.

Graduates in the Northeast have more debt on average, while those in the Southwest had the least on average.

Families in the Northeast tend to spend more on college than those in other parts of the country.

Student loan debt continues to be big problem in America.

The national student debt now totals over $1.4 trillion, with the average per graduate in the US at $17,126. Student...

Date:
03/29/2018

On Tuesday, a whistleblower released records revealing that for over a decade, financial aid employees of Howard University had misappropriated financial aid funds. The allegations, published in a Medium post, have since been taken down.



Howard University President Wayne Frederick confirmed the news that financial aid misappropriation had occurred in a statement released on Wednesday, saying, "While this has been a very difficult and disappointing situation, I know our...

Date:
03/30/2018

Howard University students stage sit-in after misappropriation of financial aid funds

© Getty

Howard University students have reached day two of a sit-in at the institution’s main administrative building after six university employees were fired over a financial aid scandal.

Students at the historically black university in D.C. first occupied the building on Thursday. A student group, HU Resist, has created a list of demands, including the resignation of University...

Date:
04/10/2017

ALBANY, New York -- New York will be the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students under a state budget approved by lawmakers Sunday.

The plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo will apply to any New York student whose family has an annual income of $125,000 or less. To qualify the student would have to meet certain class load and grade point average restrictions, and room and board would not be covered.

Date:
10/23/2017

It is now the fourth quarter of 2017, and despite all of the coverage surrounding the issue, student loan debt has not subsided whatsoever. In fact, it is still a leading form of debt in the United States as well as a considerable topic of debate in politics.

Plenty of politicians have put forward different plans addressing a variety of issues - including tuition, general reform, and student loan refinancing. Many have failed outright, while others gained attention without producing...

Date:
01/21/2018

ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan is paying the full tuition of around 1,700 in-state students this semester who qualified as the first recipients of the Go Blue Guarantee initiative the university approved last summer.

Based on fall enrollment numbers, that means around 7.2 percent of current in-state students on the Ann Arbor campus are now receiving four years of free tuition under the guarantee, due to the fact that their family's income is no greater than $65,000, within...

Date:
11/29/2017

House Republicans are planning to propose a bill this week that would bring about drastic changes to federal loans servicing and higher education policy, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The bill is part of a push to provide students with more skills in a modern labor market, but would also do away with programs meant to ease students' borrowing burdens.

Under the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity Through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, student loan debt...

Date:
10/04/2017

Even by government standards, it is a colossally dumb idea: revoking someone's license to work as a way to get them to pay off their student loans. Yet many states do just that.

Student loan debt has more than doubled since 2009 to $1.3 trillion today. The average borrower in the class of 2016 left campus more than $30,000 in debt -- triple the level from 1990, while earnings for newly minted grads have remained flat. Many are struggling to keep up with payments. Of the 22 million...

Date:
04/04/2018

I am sure that numerous readers of this column have already seen articles about how the Trump Administration may make it easier to discharge student loans in bankruptcy.  Many of us already know that student debt is extremely difficult to erase through bankruptcy.  This, of course makes sense, since student loans are typically not backed by any type of collateral, so it seems reasonable that this debt would be difficult to discharge.

Date:
04/04/2018

State lawmakers, including some of the most conservative members of the Texas House, say changes should be made to a state statute that bars workers from renewing their professional licenses if they are in default on their student loans.

“Next session the Legislature needs to address this issue head on and ensure that Texans who can’t pay student loans aren’t further crippled by government actions,” the conservative House Freedom Caucus, chaired by state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler,...

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The road to success is always under construction
– Lily Tomlin
"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going."
– Irwin "Professor" Corey
"There is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt."
– P. T. Barnum
"Bankruptcy laws allow companies to smoothly reorganize, but not college graduates burdened by student loans."
– Robert Reich
“This would be a much better world if more married couples were as deeply in love as they are in debt.”
– Earl Wilson
“What I would like to do... once I take care of all my kids' student loans, is buy a red 1965 Mustang and fully restore it.”
– Mike Quigley
"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."
– Marie Curie