STAMFORD — Local schools say they are not yet feeling the effects of the student loan credit crunch, although the economy is changing student behavior.

"Many parents are planning ahead," said Frank Barber, Ph.D., head of guidance at Stamford High School. " I think that's been a high-priority issue."

The credit crisis started last year with subprime home mortgages. According to FinAid, a website meant to inform students about their funding options for college, students can expect to see fewer private loans awarded to subprime borrowers this year, thanks to last year's credit crunch. Many lenders are finding that investors who were burned by last year's credit crunch are not buying the securities which provide the money for student loans. This is drying up funds for the loans, and may force some lenders to boost interest rates up to one percentage point, raise credit scores and require parents as co-signers.

According to Barber, Stamford High School hasn't seen any fallout from the loan crisis specifically, but he says that the economy has been affecting student choices for a few years now — top students who would have traditionally picked a small private college are tending to pick big public schools, like the University of Connecticut (UConn).

He's also noticed that more students who graduated last year are transferring out of expensive private schools and into UConn. Most years, there is one such transfer, said Barber. This year there were five requests for transcripts. Dolan Evanovich, vice provost of enrollment for the University of Connecticut, says that UConn tends to see a boom in enrollment when the economy tanks. According to Maryann Cox, a dean at of Connecticut Community Colleges, the state's 12 community colleges see the same thing.

"We're seeing more traditional 18 and 19-year-old college students going to (community colleges)," said Evanovich. "Because of the economy, student behavior is changing a little bit."

"The impact, from what we can assess, is relatively minor," said Norwalk Community College (NCC) President David Levinson.

As the summer progresses, Levinson says he would not be surprised if more students, unable to obtain loans, apply to NCC.

Neither Evanovich nor Cox will have final enrollment numbers for their schools until the beginning of the fall semester, but Evanovich says that regional campuses such as UConn Stamford, are seeing more students. As of now, Evanovich says UConn Stamford is up 77 percent more freshmen than were enrolled at this time last year.

Ashley Strain is one such student. A senior at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE), she is enrolled for the fall at UConn Stamford. According to her mother, Chris Strain, Ashley wanted to go to the UConn School of Business at Storrs, but was placed instead at UConn Stamford. The placement is a boon to her parents; her tuition in Stamford is $7,000, $10,000 less than tuition at Storrs. However, Chris Strain says her daughter will have to get a loan so she can learn to shoulder some of the burden herself.

The Strains are borrowing against a line of credit they have on their house, and Chris Strain says her family planned for the expense. But she added that the credit crunch may well effect them as Ashley moves through school.

"It probably will next year," she said. "Especially if she goes to Storrs."