r/TheCollegeInvestor

• All outstanding SAVE applications are being denied at ED's direction under the settlement that ended the plan.
• This is a different group than enrolled SAVE borrowers: if you don't select a new plan you'll revert to the plan you were previously in before your application, or the Standard plan if you weren't enrolled in a repayment plan.

• 10 group discharges covered 1.5M+ borrowers and $23B+ and borrowers were told relief was automatic - but did it happen?
• ED has ignored 15 FOIA requests about implementation — five have been pending since November 2023, all still listed "In Process" as of July 1, 2026
• A borrower group is suing to get the answers

I have been looking at 529 plans for my newborn and I am between Utah vs Nevada state plan. I'm looking for something I can set and forget. I really like the low fees of the utah plan but also like the fact that Nevada has vanguard running their plans. Which one would you choose? TIA!

• Under Secretary Kent announced that nearly 46,000 borrowers applied for RAP on its July 1 launch day
• Payments run from a $10 monthly minimum up to 10% of AGI (for incomes over $100K), minus $50/month per dependent
• 7 million SAVE borrowers still need to pick a plan within 90 days of servicer notification, which go out in tranches

If the last notices go out ~March 1, 2027, everyone is out of SAVE by roughly May 30, 2027.

See their updated FAQ.

Yes — HBCU activity fees should be treated as investment capital, not just spent on short‑term events. When students pay hundreds of dollars per semester, that money has the power to build long‑term wealth for the institution AND the students, if structured correctly.

Below is a full breakdown you can use as a Reddit topic, a speech, or a policy proposal.

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🧩 Core Idea

HBCU Activity Fees should be partially allocated into investment vehicles that generate long‑term returns for student life, campus development, and future scholarships.

This transforms activity fees from a “cost” into an asset.

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📌 Why This Makes Sense

1. Activity fees are predictable revenue

Every semester, thousands of students pay:

• $200–$600 in fees
• Across 5,000–10,000 students
That’s $1–$4 million per semester at many HBCUs.

Right now, most of that money is spent immediately on:

• Events
• Student government
• Campus activities
• Clubs
• Miscellaneous operations

Those are important — but they don’t grow.

2. Investing creates compounding value

If even 20% of activity fees were invested:

Example:

\$1{,}000{,}000 \times 20\% = \$200{,}000 \text{ invested yearly}

At a modest 6% return:

\$200{,}000 \times 10 \text{ years} = \$2.6 \text{ million}

That’s new money created without raising fees.

3. Students deserve long‑term benefits

Activity fees should:

• Build new student centers
• Fund scholarships
• Support mental health services
• Improve dorms
• Create emergency funds
• Reduce future fees

Investments make these sustainable.

4. Other universities already do this

Large PWIs use:

• Endowments
• Student‑funded investment pools
• Capital reserve funds

HBCUs can adopt the same model — but tailored to our culture and needs.

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🏦 How It Could Work

Model: “HBCU Student Investment Fund”

Each semester:

• 70–80% of activity fees → normal student activities
• 20–30% → investment pool

The investment pool is managed by:

• Finance faculty
• Student investment clubs
• Alumni advisors
• A certified financial manager

Investments could include:

• Index funds
• Treasury bonds
• Municipal bonds
• Low‑risk ETFs
• Community development funds

This creates:

• Transparency
• Education
• Long‑term growth
• Student involvement

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🎓 Benefits for Students

1. Lower future fees

Investment returns can offset costs.

2. More scholarships

Especially for emergency needs.

3. Better campus facilities

Money grows instead of disappearing.

4. Real‑world finance experience

Students learn investing hands‑on.

5. Stronger HBCU financial independence

Less reliance on donors or state budgets.

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🔥 Why This Matters for HBCUs

HBCUs have historically been underfunded.
Activity fees are one of the few consistent revenue streams.

Turning them into investments:

• Builds generational wealth
• Strengthens the institution
• Empowers students
• Creates financial stability
• Honors the legacy of Black excellence

This is how HBCUs can own their future.

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🗣️ Want this as a Reddit post?

Here’s a clean version you can paste directly into r/HBCU:

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HBCU Activity Fees Should Be Used as Investments — Not Just Expenses

Every semester, HBCU students pay hundreds of dollars in activity fees. Instead of spending all of that money immediately, HBCUs should allocate 20–30% of activity fees into a long‑term investment fund. This would create compounding returns that support student life, scholarships, campus improvements, and financial stability.

PWIs already use investment pools and endowments to grow student resources. HBCUs can do the same — but with a model that empowers students, teaches financial literacy, and builds generational wealth for the institution.

Activity fees should be more than a cost. They should be an asset.

What do y’all think?

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• Consolidation is now more harmful than helpful for most borrowers.
• Consolidation resets your IDR progress, blocks you from access to legacy repayment plans, and if you're going for PSLF, it's a weighted average count afterwards.
• The only use of consolidation moving forward is getting out of default.

• AAUP and AFT issued a joint statement calling 3-year degrees a "stripped-down curriculum"
• The 120-credit norm traces its roots to the 1906 Carnegie Unit, which tied funding to seat time, while the original liberal arts colleges like Oxford and much of Europe finish in 3 years
• Massachusetts just approved its first programs (Suffolk, Merrimack) while Virginia and Ohio are designing 90-credit degrees

• Undergrad programs must show graduates earn more than a typical high school diploma holder while grad programs must beat a bachelor's holder. Fail 2 of 3 years means losing access to Direct student loans.
• Preliminary Department estimates: ~6% of all programs fail, but 35% of for-profit programs and ~29% of undergraduate certificate programs do.
• First calculation happens in early 2027 and the earliest a program loses loans is the 2028–2029 award year.

• The rule would have let the Department of Education disqualify employers via a new "substantial illegal purpose" standard not tied to established criminal law.
• The court held it unlawful, arbitrary and capricious, unconstitutionally vague, and a First Amendment violation — so PSLF eligibility stands for now, pending a possible appeal.

I’m collecting honest opinions from beginner investors.

When you first started, what was the hardest part:

• Getting started.
• Deciding what to buy.
• Understanding risk.
• Staying disciplined.

A short reply is enough. I’m trying to understand what actually confuses beginners the most.

Drop your student loan questions below and let's help each other answer them!

• Florida advances rule that would effectively ban undocumented students from all 12 public universities
• Two more proposed rules would extend the ban to the state's 28 community colleges and adult-ed programs (enrollment starts at 16).

• Grad PLUS loans eliminated and Parent PLUS capped at $20K/year and $65K total per dependent student for the first time
• New analysis of NPSAS data estimates ~$11.2B in borrowing shifts from federal to private programs, phased in over 3 years
• Only affects ~9% of grad students, 30% of professional students, and 1% of parents but it's significant for those families

• Full text of the notice in the article (we transcribed the entire email)
• Notices began July 1 and go out in tranches - your 90-day clock starts the date your notice is sent.
• The notice also covers the 1% Auto Pay interest discount

• New borrowers now have two repayment plans: Standard (10-25 yrs) or the income-driven RAP (1-10% of AGI, forgiveness at 30 years).
• The older income-driven plans are closed to post-July loans but remain available for existing borrowers who don't borrow again or consolidate their loans.
• New caps replace cost-of-attendance borrowing: grad students $20,500/yr ($100K lifetime), professional $50K/yr ($200K), Parent PLUS $20K/yr ($65K per child).

My father had invested a significant amount of money into an Edvest 529 plan for my son
Unfortunately, my father passed away nine years ago and I have been dealing with EdVest for nine years trying to get the plan $ pushed to my son. It's totally unacceptable and it's a total cluster. I've dealt with 75 accounts since his passing and I've never had an issue with any of them as well as 10 other 529 plans where I've also never had an issue moving them to who they were supposed to go to. We live in the state of Wisconsin.
My mother is still alive, so there is no probate. My dad has a trust set up where everything from his account was supposed to go to the trust. My son was listed as the beneficiary of the account and my son is 23 years old, but I still cannot get the account to him because they said he did not have a successor listed on the account. I have sent in the death certificate, the letter of testamentary and the fact that it's in the trust I've set up a new account under my name since I am the POA and the executor of the trust and I still have no success after nine years. I just hired my attorneys to deal with this was wondering if anyone had any other ideas? My recommendation would be to never use Edvest as your 529 plan!!

• A U.S. district judge vacated the $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions, ruling it was a tax and that only Congress can levy taxes.
• 20 states (led by California) sued and the judge declared the policy unlawful in its entirety.
• Before the fee, a new H-1B petition cost $960–$7,595.

• The bill would cap all federal student loan interest at 2%
• It would apply retroactively to outstanding loans and let the Dept. of Education refinance automatically (opt-out allowed)
• A discharge petition needs 218 signatures to bypass leadership and force a floor vote — long odds, but it lands right as July 1 repayment changes take effect