20% of community college students lack access to federal loans

More than 20 percent of community college students in Virginia do not have access to federal loans, according to a national study.

The report by the Project on Student Debt found that one in 10 community college students in the United States are barred from financing their education with federal loans, considered the most affordable option.

Virginia is one of seven states where the number reached 20 percent because of college decisions not to participate in the federal program, the report said.

Of Virginia's 23 community colleges, 12 offer federal loans, including J. Sargeant Reynolds and John Tyler.

According to a spokesman for the system, most colleges that don't offer federal loans are in areas with a higher number of students eligible for need-based grant aid. Some also have staffing constraints that affect their ability to process loans.

But the report says students who don't have access to federal aid may end up with credit-card debt or private loans that lack the safeguards the government offers. -- Karin Kapsidelis