The Credit Crisis and Education

April 14, 2008

“Looking back six months or even two or three years ago, I don’t think anyone expected  education analysts would be trying to figure out financial services impacts, but that is certainly what we are doing” – Brandon Dobell, William Blair & Company

It seems the credit crisis continues to spread to all corners of the marketplace, including the education space- one of our special focuses for this week. We spoke with a variety of analysts, and the number one concern they had for this space was how the credit crisis was going to impact it.

For James Maher, of ThinkPanmure LLC, the primary concern was how the credit crisis was going to influence the market in terms of the availbility and pricing of student loans.

Amy Junker of Robert W. Baird & Co. concurs- stating that unless schools decide to act as lenders, a part of the population that is termed “subprime” might be unable to attend college, “whether they are going to Harvard, or whether they are going to the University of Phoenix.”

For the full education report, including an overview of what 2008 holds in this space from a variety of perspectives, and stock picks, click here.