Student Loan Reform 101

What the new law, shoehorned into the health care bill at the eleventh hour, means for college kids.

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Also read: The rest of the 2010 MoJo Mini College Guide, plus the 2009 MoJo Mini College Guide.

Congress reformed more than just health care this year. Below, four ways the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act affects you:

 Your federal Stafford Loan will now be made directly by the Department of Education, saving the government tens of billions it used to pay in administrative fees to companies like Sallie Mae.

 If your parents’ combined income is less than $50,000, you qualify for a Pell Grant (PDF), and your yearly scholarship will increase by as much as $425.

 Community colleges and historically black- and minority-serving schools will get grants totaling $4.5 billion to use at their discretion.

 Once you finish school, your loan payments can be no more than 15 percent of your monthly salary. Students borrowing after 2014 will have to set aside only 10 percent of their paycheck for loans.

Also read: The rest of the 2010 MoJo Mini College Guide, plus the 2009 MoJo Mini College Guide.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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