Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of legislation to reduce college loan interest rates, the “College Student Relief Act of 2007.”

“Poll after poll shows that Latinos value education, but the price of attending our nation’s postsecondary institutions is among several obstacles Hispanic children face in achieving their dream of attending college and fully contributing to society,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “Reducing student loan interest rates is an important first step in opening the doors to higher education for millions of Latinos.”

Latinos compose 18% of the total college-age population. However, they constitute a small proportion of undergraduate students in U.S. postsecondary institutions; only 10.4% of all 2002 undergraduate students were Hispanic. For many low-income Latino students, the most significant barrier to attending college is cost.

“We hope that H.R. 5 is the first step toward increasing college access for Latinos and other low-income communities,” continued Murguía. “Renewing the Higher Education Act, passage of the “American Dream Act,” and increased funding for Hispanic-serving education programs would ensure that more Latino students are in a position to take advantage of the reduction in student loan rates contained in H.R. 5.”

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