The Perkins Loan is the best student loan available.

It's not a matter of affordability. It's a matter of access. If this program goes away, that will deny access to tens of thousands of students.

Folks are trying to do away with it because they want the money for deficit reduction.

So that would be at most $500, while the average Perkins loan is $2,000. When you do the math, the net loss to students (in federal aid each year) would be at least $1,500.

In the big scheme of things, Perkins (Loans) ... pack a big punch.

You're talking about interest rates that are essentially credit card rates. You don't stand a chance of paying that back.