The Hidden Costs of Direct LoansFor more than 40 years, student-loan providers have helped millions of American families achieve the kinds of dreams made possible by the best higher-education system in the world. Federal guaranteed loans, or loans made by individual lenders that are backed by the federal government, have made college more affordable by being the lowest-cost student loans... Copyright © 2009 by The Chronicle of Higher Education Subscribe | About The Chronicle | Contact us | Terms of use | Privacy policy | Help |