The Big Beutiful Bill Law of the Trump administration puts so many people at risk of losing their health insurance and food assistance, it is difficult to concentrate on other fires established by the new law. And yet, there is a crucial conflagration that I hope that the state of California Pelee.
The budget bill contains multiple changes in federal student loan programs that will make many students even think of obtaining a university degree at the University of California or Cal State. Eligibility for Pell subsidies and other loans and subsidies, the way in which reimbursement and annual and life limits work in the loans of students and their parents (through loans for more parents) are changing.
But allow me to reduce my approach to students who enroll in law, medical, pharmacy or other professional schools, the “market” segment of the students with which I am more familiar due to my career as a teacher at UC Law San Francisco.
When I started teaching, the citizens of California supported professional training very generously. I remember that the enrollment in UC Law (then UC Hastings) was, well, there were No Registration, only rates.
But with public support dramatically reduced over the years, costs have risen and above. The enrollment and the required rates alone in UC Law SF are approximately $ 60,000 per year. In the medical, dental or pharmacy school? In the range of $ 50,000 to $ 60,000 too. And that is without food, housing and other expenses of daily life. (For perspective, UC registration costs are still less expensive than private schools: in the registration of Stanford's Law Faculty, it will cost you about $ 77,000 per year and in Stanford's School of Medicine, $ 67,000).
According to the OBBBA, the professional students of the school will no longer be able to obtain more than $ 50,000 per year (up to $ 200,000 in total for a title) in federal loans for students. That leaves a significant gap in registration and annual rates, and does not offer help on additional costs: UC calculates the total cost of one year of School of Dentistry at $ 104,000.
There are private loans available. But federal loans for students have more flexibility, particularly in payment plans, and students do not need a solid credit history or a co-firming to obtain them. Students who would have to borrow the least prone to have a solid credit history or a family member who would be an acceptable co-firming for a private loan. And private loan rates are almost always higher than those of the government.
So, as well as the fiscal provisions in this newly approved law, make the rich richer, I fear that the provisions of student loans will be suitable for better, but prevent many working -class young people from obtaining professional titles. Too much for policies that support the American dream.
California could control this fire through its own student loan program, adding funds to fill the gap created by the new federal rules. One option: create an additional program under the auspices of the California Student Aid Commission, whose current aid programs have a limited scope. It is true that the state budget is already thin, but it is loans, so money, for the most part, will be returned with interest.
Do we need to help future professionals to get education? Absolutely!
As our population ages, the demands of health professionals are only increasing. Given the long career of medical, nursing education and pharmacy students, we cannot wait for another administration to intervene in office and fix the loan situation. We should avoid a reduction in the number of graduate practitioners now. We already have a shortage of health professionals: Have you recently tried to find a primary care doctor or pediatrician who is taking new patients? And nurses' shortage is an important problem: UC San Francisco estimates that the State is short 36,000 nurses.
As for lawyers, if you doubt the need for more, consider “The Justice Gap. “Face the eviction?
And young people are likely to be more likely to find the new rules of federal loans, a barrier to the Faculty of Law is also likely to understand the need for more lawyers in public interest and public service jobs, and perhaps the most likely aspiring to such works. The State has had a loan refund program for those who practice the law of public interest. In addition to reinforcing federal loans for students with state loans, California could revitalize and expand the payment program to cover a greater variety of jobs and pay more than the $ 11,000 limit.
While the federal government is acting to burn things, our state should intervene to build things, including the group of talents we need during the next decades.
Marsha Cohen, a professor of Law of Emerita at UC Law San Francisco, served twice as a dean of admissions of the school, which included supervising her financial aid program.
