UM, federal officials discuss ideas to reduce college costs - Childs Walker, The Baltimore Sun

The cost of college has been in the news for the past week. President Barack Obama discussed it in his State of the Union address last Tuesday and unveiled plans Friday to make federal aid for universities contingent on their efforts to control tuition costs. Obama's plan prompted nervous reactions from many higher education officials, who say they sometimes have to raise tuition to compensate for drops in state funding. Tuesday's discussion focused particularly on the government's policy of forgiving federal loans for students who go on to work in public service — for either government agencies or nonprofits. Such service workers are eligible for lower monthly rates, and if they stay in their jobs for 10 years, the balance of their loans can be forgiven entirely.