Federal Updates

AmeriCorps online payment system a great success
A little more than a year ago, AmeriCorps implemented an online payment system. The system has proven to be popular with all involved parties, with over 1,700 schools and loan holders already registered.

TG Updates

TG issues 2008 edition of School Fact Sheets about Texas colleges, lenders
TG has issued the latest edition of its School Fact Sheets, a useful publication about Texas institutions of higher learning and lenders that provide loans to their students.

Order your 2008 TG Calendar
It’s not too late to pick up your copy of the 2008 TG Calendar. The calendar offers a month-by-month listing of many industry events such as regional and state financial aid conferences, as well as all federal holidays. Each page also features a concise default prevention tip for you or your students.

Spring training: Get into financial aid-shape with TG's industry workshops at regional and state conferences
Start planning your "training regimen" for learning the latest in regulatory news and industry trends. TG offers some help with a number of workshops and financial aid-focused sessions at state and regional conference events. These seminars consider a range of issues from federal regulatory changes to streamlining your campus default prevention campaign.

Tech Report

TG adds data to e-sign post for TG Loans By Web™
To assist with a lender’s e-sign function, TG provides a form-post to the lender containing demographic information. TG’s lender customers requested that the borrower’s e-mail address be added to the information provided in the form-post when the borrower is transitioned to their site. TG is pleased to announce this functionality will be included in our Fall 2008 release of TG Loans By Web enhancements.

Trends and Issues

Question of the week
How does a school handle Stafford and PLUS loans for a student who is already receiving Stafford and PLUS loans at another school? Specifically, what components of the cost of attendance (COA) can a school include to calculate the student's loan eligibility?

Legislative Update

The latest edition of TG's Legislative Report explores the educational platforms for the three leading contenders for president — Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). Each takes a different stance related to the FFELP and the federal higher education program. Learn more by reading the full report on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/2008/lr_080220.cfm.

This, That, and the Other...

The transition from college to career can be a rocky one for students, especially given high student debt and a competitive job market. Some move back with their parents or migrate to other parts of the country, searching for better job prospects. A few colleges are offering an alternative with on-campus housing for graduated students. Dowling College in New York is one such college.

Dowling plans to build more than 1,000 units of new student housing in 2008 or 2009, with a certain number set aside for graduates on its campus in Shirley, N.Y. Dowling is not the first college to do so. The University of Connecticut plans to build several hundred apartments at its campus in Storrs, and the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, will build 295 on-campus apartments, not just for recent students but also for the general public.

Learn more about this new "housing" option for transitioning graduates by reading the complete New York Times article at www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27dowlingli.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin.