Progress Reported as Defaulting On Student Loans Is Cut in Half

The student loan default rate fell to a record low of 10.7% in fiscal year 1994, the administration announced last week.

The new default data released Thursday were the most current available, according to the Department of Education. Defaults in fiscal 1994 were less than half the record 22.4% level in 1990.

In a speech Thursday, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley attributed the decline to a strong economy and aggressive collection efforts by his department and the schools.

Others, however, said that banks deserve some credit for the decrease in student loan defaults.

"Banks played a critical part by being more judicious in their lending," said Greg Gollihur, spokesman for the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs. "They're making sure that student borrowers know what they are getting into."

The council represents student loan guarantors, lenders, and loan servicers.

The Clinton administration also reported that in 1995 it had seized more than $500 million in federal tax refunds due to 573,000 defaulters. In addition, the Education Department since March 1996 has removed 144 schools with default rates above 25% from the federal student loan programs.

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