After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans schools emphasized college for all, but many students faced financial and personal struggles. Now, the KIPP charter school network has shifted its focus to both college and career options to better support students' diverse needs.

Confusion, delays and strain pile up in financial aid offices following staff reductions at the Department of Education.

A key office in the Department of Education responsible for fielding grievances about student loans has a backlog of more than 27,000 complaints after losing nearly two-thirds of its staff.

Medical students will be barred from borrowing more than $50K per year, with a $200K lifetime cap. Some say that students need to be working harder to pay for higher education while others say the caps put the onus back on colleges and universities to rein in the rising cost of tuition.