本帖最后由 qilei8825 于 2010-4-15 10:04 编辑
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This is the VOA Special English Education Report. Today we talk more about the costs of higher education in the United States. If you missed last week's report you can find it at voaspecialenglish.com.
Foreign students who need financial aid generally have to seek it from the school itself or their own government or employer. If you follow the news then you know that President Obama recently signed health care reform legislation. But one of the two bills he signed into law also made unrelated changes in the federal student loan program.
These changes will require new loans to come directly from the department of education. The department already makes these federally guarentee loans for American citizens and permanent legal residents. But since 1993 it has also paid private lenders to provide them. Now as of your * first all new loans will go through the direct loan program only.
Official say the new law will save the government 61 billion dollars over ten years. The plan is to use more than half the savings to provide more federal * grants to needy students. A few billion will also go to schools that traditionally serve minorities and to help two year community colleges.* theme is senior vice president of American association of community colleges. ''you know everybody higher education benefits from almost all these bill''
The new law will reduce the most that borrowers must repay each year from 15 percent of their income to 10 percent. And the longest repayment period will be shortened from 25 year. Any remaining debt will be forgiven after 20 years or 10 if borrowers enter public service.
Supporters in higher education said the final bill did not go far enough. Republic and opponents called it an unnecessary government take over of private industry. Another criticism was that the financial services industry could lose about 30,000 jobs.
The department of education reported last year that about two thirds of graduates from four-year colleges had student loan debt. The average was about 23,000 dollars.
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report written by Nancy * .You can discuss education and other subjects on our facebook page at VOA Learning English. And you can find transcripts and podcasts at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
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