Limiting Loans, Preserving Access

Presenters from New America will share what schools have considered when restricting unsubsidized borrowing under the Department of Education’s loan limit experiment. Research presented will highlight the challenges facing institutions and how loan limits or alternative aid disbursement may address them. Presenters will discuss the impact of these experiments on enrollment, retention, graduation, and student indebtedness. Discussion will broadly weigh the risks, for low-income students especially, if all institutions were given authority to set loan limits as they see fit. The session will also explore how many students have been limited under a current federal loan system that offers little flexibility and leads colleges to opt out completely.