<p>We work really hard at this at the school I work for as well. We attempt to provide exit counseling in person, we have a team that works with any former students who have missed a payment, We counsel them to borrow as little as possible. One big problem is that when they run into finanicial issues, they stop responding to outreach from us and the lender/servicer. They don’t realize how many options there are to keep out of default. The best way to reduce defaults is to keep students in school so they actually get their degree. Graduates default less often than those who leave without a degree.</p>