The Higher Education Act (HEA) provides for a loan consolidation program under both the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Programs and the Direct Loan Program. Under these programs, a borrower’s loans are paid off and a new consolidation loan is created. These programs simplify loan repayment by combining several types of Federal education loans (that may have different terms and repayment schedules or may have been made by different lenders) into one new loan. The interest rate may be lower than on one or more of the underlying loans. In addition, the monthly payment amount on a consolidation loan is usually lower and the amount of time to repay may be extended beyond what was available in the separate loan programs. These features should result in more manageable debt, and make borrowers less prone to default.

The Goals 2000 office also has responsibility for the new Technology Literacy Challenge Fund. The Technology LiteracyChallenge Fund is a new program to help stimulate local, State, and private sector partnerships focused on fully integratingtechnology into teaching and learning to help ensure that all students are technologically literate by the dawn of the 21st century.Congress appropriated $200 million in FY 1997 for this effort.

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Federal Student Aid's oficial homepage for programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. These programs provide approximately70% of the financial aid awarded in the United States each year.

Download applications for the Federal PLUS and Stafford student loans and gethelp with college financing, term papers, internships, and career planning.

The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria was established in 1986 with the aim of ensuring that all academically qualified T.C. Williams High School seniors can afford to attend college.

The Student Guide is the most comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education.Grants, loans, and work-study are the three major forms of student financial aid available through the federal Student FinancialAssistance Programs. Updated each award year, The Student Guide tells you about the programs and how to apply for them.