Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton today unveiled a sweeping plan to ensure that students are not left without money for college as a result of the withdrawal of dozens of lenders from the guaranteed-student-loan program.

Although members of Congress are skeptical that the troubles of some student-loan companies will leave students unable to find needed college funds, the Clinton campaign argues in a news release that “hundreds of thousands of students who are actively considering how to finance their college educations could be left in the lurch, without the ability to pay for college.”

The release said Mrs. Clinton is urging the Bush administration to act quickly and support her plan, which includes:

—Creating a way for colleges to quickly transfer from the guaranteed-student-loan program to the direct-loan program, administered by the Education Department. Currently colleges must wait about six weeks to make such a change.

—Giving breaks to parents who now run the risk of being denied access to federally guaranteed low-interest loans for their children as a result of defaulting on a mortgage or being 90 days late in repaying such debts. “Because of widespread predatory lending,” the campaign statement said, “this policy denies student loans to many people who defaulted because of deceptive or unfair practices.”

—Authorizing the Education Department to advance money to state or private entities that ensure student loans and to purchase federally guaranteed loans from lenders who are no longer able to handle them.