For parents and students, finding money for college can be a nightmare. School tuition has consistently been on the rise and navigating your way through the plethora of loans, grants and scholarships to find the right one is daunting.
Luckily for Texas, we have one the best student loan programs in the country – and it’s hardly being used. The program is called the Texas “B-on-Time Loan,” and the idea is relatively simple: students are offered up to $8000, free of interest, and forgiven if the student graduates with a B “average” in four years.
So, with such a great program, why are only about three percent of Texas students tapping into it? We spoke with Andrew Roush, an Assistant Editor for The Alcalde magazine. As he explains, the program’s sordid history of financial inquires, coupled with a new federal rule stopping state institutions from promoting non-federal loans, means missed opportunities for Texan students. “The feds didn’t know they were doing this, it was sort of accidental,” Roush says.
Since February, some government officials have debated on whether the program should be salvaged or if unused funds should be used elsewhere. Right now both state and federal lawmakers are working together to try and end the gag order preventing universities from promoting the program.
