Giving Compass' Take:

· Education experts suggest raising the limits on federal student loans in order to reduce the financial strain on parents and allow students to focus on their classes without needing to work. 

· Will raising the limits on federal student loans make college more affordable? What other ways are students approaching funding for college?

· Read about how schools and startups are hacking college affordability. 

Tatum Johnson was hooked on the view from Clemson University’s North Green soon after she set foot on the South Carolina institution’s campus for a tour while she was still a high school senior.

The stretch of grass overlooking the amphitheater, Reflection Pond and the library “is pretty breathtaking,” she said. The botanical gardens were a boon, too. “I mainly go there to see the wildlife. There are a few duck ponds and a butterfly garden and a lot of squirrels.”

The campus and Clemson’s academic reputation sealed the deal for Johnson to enroll, despite its higher cost compared to other public universities she was considering.

Now it’s Clemson’s price tag, rather than its scenery, that’s top of mind for Johnson. A junior who received the full $6,095 a year allowed under a federal Pell Grant — for which she qualifies based on her family’s low income — she was still short of what she owes by about $6,000, and government limits meant she was maxed out on what she could borrow in federal student loans.

Read the full article about college affordability by Mikhail Zinshteyn at The Hechinger Report.