2003 guide to financial aid lenders - Special section: financial aid

University Business, Jan, 2003

It's no secret that today, the largest part of financial aid for college and university students and their families comes in the form of loans from the many providers vying for the business. In 1991-92, 47 percent of aid was in the form of loans, but by 1997-98, that figure ballooned to 60 percent. Though the numbers have come down a few percentage points in the past few years, to today's students and their families, financial aid from lending institutions may still mean the difference between timely college attendance or a years-long struggle to complete an education while working full- or part-time. With college enrollment numbers soaring, competition among lenders has become brisk, to say the least, and new technologies designed to ease 'paper pain' in the Financial Aid office crop up weekly, it seems.

On the ensuing pages, UB presents a look at one of the newest of those technologies, e-signatures, followed by our annual comparison guide to lenders. If your institution is seeking a new lending partnership, here's your start to finding just the right fit.