Enter the most recent program to provide money to university students trying to pay for higher education: income participation agreements. Income-participation agreements are not regulated, so everyone can work differently. In general, you start repaying an ISA after you leave school and exceed a certain income threshold. If you lose your job, you can pay. Under the ISA, students receive a certain amount of money in exchange for their willingness to forego a certain percentage of future income. If a degree does not pay, they can pay back less at the end. If incomes go up, they`ll pay more. Being tied to your normal income means you don`t have to go through the constant uncertainty about how you will pay if you lose your job. In other words, the amount you owe is still there and waiting to be refunded until you can resume, which may result in a longer payment period than your traditional student credit situation. If you`re the kind of person who doesn`t like to have debts over your head, this could become problematic.

Like any other ISA program, Better Future Forward has a short track record so far. In the fall of 2017, the first cohort of students received funding for the group`s income participation contracts. In all programs, there was a 95 percent student engagement rate, James said. But the size of the program is still quite small — there were 73 students in the first cohort, and about the same number received ISA funding last year. They do not need to be rich or poor to take advantage of the ISAs where they are available. When financial assistance to traditional financial loans is done through family income and time-based application, ISAs are simply based on availability and the desire to be part of a program that supports them. In Iowa, agreements are governed by state law. According to Miller`s office, the conditions of most would be contrary to legal interest rate limitations, late fees and grace periods.

However, Iowaners who attend out-of-state schools can be offered as part of a financial assistance plan. An income participation contract is a contract in which you receive money for your training. In return, you agree to pay the ISA provider a fixed percentage of your income for a specified period after the end of school. Depending on the terms of your contract, you can refund more or less the amount you received. But a revenue-based contract could be the wrong thing to do, even if you`re a graduate soon. If your income is above average after graduation, you can pay much more than you received. A few months ago, I received a LinkedIn message about a school considering a revenue-to-income agreement, and they were looking for advice. When I did the figure table, the amount the student would have to pay in a share of income was about 20% interest on a private loan. And unlike a loan, there is no down payment on an income contribution. As a parent and not as a financial assistance officer, I would not go that far for the next 15-20 years.