Going through college, especially in light of the current economic climate, is very hard. In the latest data of the Department of Education, more than 20% of borrowers of federal student loans who enroll in commercial colleges default with their payments within three years of beginning their payments for the loans. These figures were made available last December 14 by the Department of Education.

In the past, the government had reported these statistics in terms of how many college students default their payments within two years. This figure has stood at 6.7% of student borrowers overall and 11% at commercial colleges. In the new report, the Department of Education used a new three-year data that gives estimates on whether a student at a particular college will default. The government will begin to use this data to help decide which educational institutions are eligible for taxpayer-supported student-aid programs.

At present, colleges possessing default rates of over 25% for three years can be disqualified from government support but many experts have argued that many colleges have resorted to manipulating their data therefore giving the Department of Education false numbers. So beginning in 2012, the government will begin judging colleges based on the number of students who have defaulted within three years of starting repayment. Although this will make for better assessment of colleges, the new threshold default rate for penalties will be 30% instead of 25%.

Almost 12% of student borrowers who have begun their repayments in 2007 fiscal year have within three years defaulted on their payments, a figure that was up from 9.2% in 2006. But at commercial colleges, the rate was 21.2% within three years, a rise from 18.8% the previous year.

Harris Miller of the Career College Association, which represents commercial colleges, said the increase reflected the state of the poor economy. “If you accept low-income students, you’re going to have high default rates,” Mr. Miller said.