[Lou L]

OK, here's a purely free-market solution: have government get out of the student loan business entirely

Now you're talking...

Were the government to get out of student loans altogether, banks and other financial lenders would look much harder at potential borrowers; hopefully, the same scrutiny and concern would be shown by the borrowers (students), before taking on such loans.

Such a model would most certainly let the air from the sails of the perennial inflation we see in college costs, but I think it would achieve many of our objectives.

Of course, many would cry that poor students would now NEVER have a chance. Perhaps then, colleges could take a look at funding those students through their endowments.

[PapaBear3625]

One big thing would be that loan companies would need to be immunized from lawsuits if a disproportionate number of students denied loans, on the grounds that their profile (SAT scores, high school GPA, prospective major) did not make them good risks.

I would be in favor of the feds making "disparate impact" no longer grounds to assume discrimination, but that would take more political courage to pass than Congress currently has.