One of about 1,500 audience members let out a groan when Sen. Hillary Clinton said last night that she took out a loan to pay for law school — at 2 percent interest.

The rest of the crowd laughed at the reaction as Clinton, D-N.Y., paused to smile during a 45-minute speech made last night in Rec Hall.

The presidential candidate told voters two days before tomorrow’s Pennsylvania primary that she will make affordable education a priority if she is chosen as the Democratic candidate instead of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

“When the cameras disappear and the lights are turned off, you’re electing a president to solve problems, not give speeches,” she said.

Clinton told the crowd, which filled about half of the gym, that her parents offered to cover tuition and room and board for her undergraduate years at Wellesley College, but she worked to pay for extra expenses such as books and coffee.

But then she wanted to go law school, which her dad said was not part of the bargain, forcing her to take out a loan, she said.

Clinton said her plan to improve higher education includes eliminating the FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — form because people spend time filling it out just to find out they don’t qualify for student aid. She suggested incorporating the application into boxes on tax forms.

Clinton also will offer a 2-year public service offer to pay $10,000 for college debt, stop predatory student loan companies, and will stop the No Child Left Behind Act created by the current administration, she said.