College Student Loans : Friend Or Foe

Supporters of getting a college degree often point to the statistics that college graduates earn more than their high school educated peers over a lifetime. Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau reports that since 1977, “Adults with bachelor's degrees in the late 1970s earned 55 percent more than adults who had not advanced beyond high school. That gap grew to 75 percent by 1990 -- and is now at 85 percent.” A gap of an 85% pay difference is a huge figure and a clear reason why college is a great option for some people. But there are problems with that figure because when the number of college graduates who are either unemployed or underemployed is taken into account it changes the value of the statistic. In an article by Businessweek’s Richard Vedder we get statistics to counter that argument. He tells of how the number of new college graduates far exceeds job growth in technical, managerial, and professional jobs where graduates traditionally have searched for employment. As a consequence, we have underemployed college graduates doing jobs historically performed by those with just a highschool education. He says we have “more than 100,000 janitors with

A problem with student loan debt is that students gain more debt because they are not able to pay off the student loans within the given time which also causes them to put certain life decisions on hold. According to Sophie Quinton debt is a problem for the recent college graduates because “There’s currently no way to get rid of federal student debt other than paying off the loans. while some borrowers are paying off their debts just fine, overall they are adding debt faster than they are shedding it”(Quinton). According to Jamaal Abdul-Alim stated that a “survey - titled Student Loan Debt: Who’s Paying the Price?- revealed a number of troubling statistics about the practical ways that student loans are impacting college graduates in their everyday lives. For instance the survey found that: 49

An education is one of the most important tools a person can acquire. It gives them the skills and abilities to obtain a job, earn a wage, and then use that wage to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones. However, due to the seemingly exponential increase in the costs of obtaining a college degree, students are either being driven away entirely from earning a degree or taking out student loans which cripple their financial prospects well after graduation. Without question, the increasing national student loan debt is one of the most pressing economic issues the United States is dealing with, as students who are debt ridden are not able to consume and invest in the economy. Therefore, many politicians and students are calling

College graduates, on average, make a whopping one million dollars more in lifetime earnings than those with a high school diploma. Those with a college degree now make $17,500 more per year than those without — a wage gap that's doubled in recent decades. Those without a degree are four times more likely to be unemployed.One of the biggest and most important reasons for anyone to attend college is the upper hand it gives with regards to jobs and career. A college graduate has a higher chance of landing a job when compared to an individual with a high school qualification. Further, a college graduate also has better options and opportunities to progress in their

Here in the United States, there are many forms of consumer debt, which help contribute to the large sums of debt countless Americans find themselves faced with. Directly effecting many college students is student loan debt. Student loan debt is now the second largest form of consumer debt behind housing” declares the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Grisales). This is due to the fact that student loan debt grew 7.1% in 2014 to $1.2 trillion (Grisales). If this statistic alone is not worrisome this next one is sure to be. The amount of debt in the housing market that helped to spark the last recession was only $1.3 trillion (Grisales). Due to the increased amount of debt required by students to attend college many students are feeling the wrath. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “In 2014, 11.7 percent of females and 17.7 percent of males between the ages 25 and 34 were living with their parents” (Grisales). The fear of obtaining massive amounts of debt is driving the current generation of student’s to put off many future hopes and dreams. While causing them to move back home to save money. The current student loan crisis is crippling the economy and ruining the lives of American students.

Jobless rates are higher for those who don 't have a college degree. In my point of view it might not be necessary if you want to struggle in life trying to get a better paying job. Yes there is jobs that don 't require you to have a degree but there is a few and would most likely be a fast food places.

“Aside from increased stress, such debt has numerous economic consequences. It can compromise students’ higher education decisions and their ability to complete their studies.” Clive R. Belfield,

As many would be led to believe, student debt affects the vast majority of young people in this country. According to Daniels, seventy percent of students who have recently graduated are now considered to be under the category of borrowers (2015). In relation to the population, that is a total of forty million people (Daniels, 2015). Unfortunately, many of these students are reaching the point of possibly defaulting on the loans they have accumulated (Daniels, 2015). Although students are now being educated about being very careful when taking out loans, many do not have a choice. Student debt seems like a nonstop revolving door for us young people. The sum of the student loan debt that the population of forty million Americans has is a total of $1.2 trillion in college debt (Student-loan debacle, 2014).

Without student loans, a great deal of students would not have the opportunity to obtain a higher educational degree. Student loans give the possibility to low-income families to be admitted into college without the doubt of not being able to pay. Lastly, some argue that “the upside of student debt is that … it may be possible to earn significantly more or to pursue a more personally fulfilling career, making the debt financially or emotionally worthwhile”(Fontinelle). This argument comes from if one wants to enjoy their job, they need to get the correct amount of education in their field of desire, no matter the debt. Conclusively, there are plenty of upsides to loan debt, but in all, the increased debt of student loans should be subsidized to lessen this

Despite the fact that hourly wages for college educated people are decreasing,”college educated in 2000 were $22.75, but that dropped almost a full dollar.”(C) ,the wage gap between college graduates and those with only a high school diploma has in fact increased.”(D) Last year the gap reached 83 percent.” The gap is bigger than it has ever been , making the option of going to college better than it was before.

Each semester the student loan debt increases, and the scary part is that in some cases students will never be able to pay off their debt. Previously, young people would attend college to increase their chances of success in the future; however, now a days it seem like it is more of a financial burden than an investment for the future.{If something is not done to manage the increasing student loan debt, the economy as a whole will also fall into a financial crisis}. Something needs to be done about the student debt in the United States. A proposal should be done to insure that the number of students who fall under student debt have a way to come up from it without the struggle of increase interest rates and a bad credit score. Student loan debt is increasing every year, and some students don’t understand the burden that could come from borrowing money to pay for college. Student loan debt is not just harming students, but also families and the United States economy as a whole, a solution to this problem would be to cancel student loan debt.

Student loan debt is becoming more and more of a problem as time goes by. Evidentially, it is only its interest fee that student loan debt is becoming known for. According to Student Loan Hero, “Student loan debt is mostly for four-year or graduate degrees (“Student Loan Debt”). Student loan debt does have effects to people’s lives, but only because they allow it to build up from not paying it. Student loan debt is not something people has to live with, but it is what they choose to live with it can be taken away nothing is permanent. Most people do not understand what Student Loan Debt really is, and the confusion it brings in people’s lives need to be distinct; this problem can simply be done by colleges protecting students from going into debt, and loan company’s should allow them eight years after graduation before putting them into debt.

Student loan debt in the United States is expanding unrestricted each year. There are 36 million Americans today, holding over $740 billion dollars in student loan debt. (U.S. 2013) The current student loan system is intended to open doors to economic prosperity for those who could not otherwise afford to go to college. Research suggests that the unintended consequence of too much available student credit is real people losing prosperity and languishing in debt for extended periods of their lives. Reducing or eliminating the availability of student loans would have a tremendous impact on improving the lives of Americans. If things continue the way they are now, American’s will soon find college, and its implied ticket to economic

When it becomes time for someone to pay off their student loans, it can be a long, complex, and strenuous process. Attorney Heather Jarvis, a specialist in the field of managing student loan debt, graduated Duke University School of Law with a total of $125,000 in loans. “Four-year college graduates continue to experience far less unemployment and earn higher salaries than those with only a high school education… But higher education is expensive and scholarships and grant aid has failed to keep with the rising tuitions.” Says Heather Jarvis. This shows that yes attending college is beneficial to people and their futures, but with tuition continuously rising year after year, colleges have failed to keep increasing the scholarships and grants they give out, which in turn causes many students to end up taking out loans, which if they don’t manage right can have endless effects on their future. “In the United States today, there are approximately thirty-seven million student loan borrowers who together owe more than one trillion dollars. Seven in ten college seniors who graduated in 2012 had student loan debt. Those who had student loan debt owed an average of $29,400.” This is why it is so important to constantly monitor one’s loans, because they can pile up very quickly and suffocate you with debt when you finally get around to paying them.

When starting college every student makes a very important decision. Whether if they want to get financial aid or to pay the money up front. Having college debt will not only ruin their credit, but he or she may also have to pay off their tuition for the rest of their life. Research says, “According to the College Board, which tracks students’ financing of higher education, undergraduate students in 2013 through 2014 borrowed in the aggregate nearly $63 billion and received $33.7 billion in Pell grants.” By this quote from “Debt, Merit, and Equity in Higher Education Access” it clearly shows the effects College Debt has on their society but, also on their future. Every paycheck they receive, a small portion goes toward paying their college the same college they finished years ago. It’s not worth paying at least one hundred fifty dollars every check when it could have been paid all together. However, many may not have the same opportunities as others.