Extending a Helping Hand With Loans

In February, UCLA Extension students were told that federal student loans for continuing education would be cut, effective immediately. About 500 of the more than 60,000 extension students seeking certification in various fields were affected. MARCELA ROJAS spoke with a UCLA extension student and an extension school official.

ANTHONY SOROKA

28, of Hollywood, UCLA extension student seeking computer graphics certification

I have been enrolled in the certificate program for a year. Now I’m told that the federal government will only guarantee student loans for credits that transfer to a bachelor’s degree. A large percentage of certificate programs are not transferable. Many students seeking certification are people who want to change their career and already have a bachelor’s degree.

The student loan that I have paid me $1,800. That helped me pay for classes and books. The only alternative I have now is to take out a personal loan or pay these expenses out of pocket. With the federal student loan, you could defer payments until after school. That’s not possible with a personal loan.

A certificate in computer graphics takes about three years if you take two classes a quarter to eventually take 20 courses. I will only be able to afford taking one class a quarter without the loan. That means four classes a year. At that rate, it will take me five years to get a certificate. Classes in computer graphics are not cheap. It costs between $500 and $750 a class and hundreds of dollars on software.

I don’t understand why the federal government would yank loans from under our feet. The irony is I’m going to school so I may get a better paying job so I may earn more money and pay more taxes. And on top of that the government would be collecting interest on the loans I took out.

JULIE JASKOL

Spokesperson for UCLA Extension programs

UCLA is disappointed that the Department of Education reversed more than 20 years of practice and made some Extension programs ineligible for federal financial aid. The decision was not based on the quality of the learning experience.

Extension practices open access. While we expect our adult learners to perform at the university level, we do not impose formal admission requirements. And although credit from Extension courses freely transfer wherever our students subsequently pursue degree study, our programs have never automatically led to a UCLA degree.

For the students needing federal loans, this sudden turnabout is upsetting. To help them--a relatively small number--our staff has been identifying other loan sources. The neediest who qualify will receive Extension grants.

Continuing higher education is critical to everyone within a knowledge-based economy like ours. It’s time for new government policies and philanthropic support to increase access to prized educational resources like UCLA Extension.