Problems and concerns faced by the Carter Administration and the Congress regarding federal student loans are reviewed in this book. In individually authored chapters, focus is on student default, abuse, availability of capital, student access to loans, and possible new roles for states, institutions, and the federal government. A historical perspective on the loan problem is also included. The chapters are: "How We Got Here from There," by John F. Morse; "Federally Sponsored Students Loans: An Overview of Issues and Policy Alternatives," by D. Bruce Johnstone; "New Directions in State Loan Programs for Postsecondary Students," by W. Lee Hansen and Suzanne C. Feeney; "The National Bank Approach to Solutions," by Robert W. Hartman; "GSLP and NDSL--in Search of Synthesis," by Richard J. Ramsden; "Student Loan Defaults: Toward a Better Understanding of the Problem," by Arthur M. Hauptman; and "The Special Problems of Graduate Student Loan Finance," by David W. Breneman and Sharon Collins. (LBH)