Graduation Speech : College Graduate Essay

With the cost of attending even public state schools starting at $20,000 a year, most college graduates will leave with student loan debt. This inevitable debt can already be immense and feel crushing. Credit card debt accumulated in high school is not forgiven by the bank when a student graduates to college. Why would you let your teenager needlessly make their future financial situation worse? Stress surrounding student loan debt has claimed lives. In Oklahoma, two colleges students committed suicide over their inability to pay their debts. They were found dead with their bills beside

With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.

According to William B. Bradshaw, “that figure is beyond comprehension.” As of January 2, 2018, there is $1.48 trillion in total United States student loan debt, 44.2 million Americans with student loan debt, student loan delinquency rate of 11.2%, and average monthly student loan payment is $351 (A Look at the Shocking Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2018). About half of the students that graduated in 1993-94 with a bachelor’s degree graduated with debt, averaging a little more than $10,000. In 2016, more than two-thirds of college graduates graduated with debt, and their average debt at graduation was about $35,000, tripling in two decades

“[I] am a PhD student working a full time job that pays less than $21,000 a year. By the time I finish this degree I will have well over 80,000 in student loans, which have already began to gather interest and make weight on my credit…”("Real Life Student Debt Stories • Student Debt Crisis" Sarah March 26, 2016 Illinois).

It’s no secret in America that many college graduates are struggling to pay off their student loans. While looking at the statistics for how much is owed and how many college graduates are affected, it is clear that student debt is an issue and the need for a solution couldn’t be more urgent. The latest data show that across the country there are over “40 million borrowers” who share in “$1.2 trillion dollars” of student loans (Life Delayed). According to those numbers, that means that the average borrower has $30,000 dollars to pay off. With college tuition ever increasing, it is not hard to see how borrowing more money has becoming inevitable. According to Alan Greenblatt, a staff writer for NPR and CQ Researcher who focuses on

According to the Institute for College Access and Success, about seventy-one percent of students from a four-year university, graduates with student debt. Student debt alter from graduation from a public college or private non-profit college estimating around 25,000 to 39,000 dollars. With the Student Loan Forgiveness Program, it allows students the option to choice a firm career path, join the military branch, and better their life knowing the student debt will be reduced or forgiving. (“Average student loan debt, 1993-2012.”)

In 2016, college grads graduated with an average of $37,172 in student loan debt. This is a 6% increase from the previous year, and the rates increase as colleges become more expensive. Going to a University or College is looked upon as a luxury or a privilege nowadays. Good paying jobs that supply good living standards are requiring at least a bachelor’s degree to be considered for hiring. Any persons, including college students, should not be forced to live with, be pressured by, or be under the control of student loan debt. Student loan debt has been proven to have an impact on a person’s mental health. It keeps the less fortunate from having a chance to prosper in a competitive workforce, and the system that provides financial aid (FAFSA) doesn’t always meet a person’s needs completely. College should be an earned right for those who have stuck through the education process as an adolescent.

Student debt is an increasing problem in the American education system. As the times keep changing one thing becomes clearer and clearer: going to college is becoming less and less of a choice for recently graduated high school students. Unfortunately for us students that also means by the time we graduate we will have thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off when we are trying to start fresh in our new jobs. According to a story reported by the Daily News, approximately 70 percent of college students owe around 30,000 dollars by the time they graduate. This number

When a student finally graduates from college there is this excitement that comes to you. You finally graduated and now can apply the things you have learned in the job or career you plan on. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, many graduating student finds themselves in hug student loan debt. The numbers are staggering: more than $1.2 trillion in outstanding student loan debt, 40 million borrowers, an average balance of $29,000. Men and women laboring under student debt "are postponing marriage, childbearing and home purchases, and... pretty evidently limiting the percentage of young people who start a business or try to do something entrepreneurial,". (Daniels)

How the Student Loan Debt Crisis Is Undermining the Economic and Social progress of American Graduates

The most common types of debt in and after college are student loans and credit card debt. If loans and tuition rise more and more, it will be increasingly difficult for students to pay them off, causing bankruptcy and economic mayhem (Taibbi). Due to rising tuition since the 2000’s (Taibbi), it is much more difficult for students to find other means of paying for college. Students are faced with debt from the loans they were forced to take out. Student loans allow students the opportunity to go to college and graduate. However, this is a double-edged sword as some student haven’t even started their career yet and they’re faced with a mountain of debt “I could never buy a house. I can’t travel; I can’t do anything, I feel like a prisoner” -Kristin Cole.

With the heavy push to secure a college degree combined with the rapidly-increasing cost of college, families are facing one of the toughest decisions of their lives: How to pay for college without being buried in student loan debt. As a college student, there’s no doubt you may end up with student debt. Almost all college students will receive some form of student loan during their college career. This year’s college graduates are leaving school with an average of $37,172 in student loans – up from $35,000 last year. Many students and families are searching for solutions to avoid becoming part of the crisis.

In the United States today, the number of students graduating college with student loan debt is quite astonishing. In the article titled, “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy”, we will examine and break down the student loan debt crisis by the numbers. Today, almost two-third’s of students graduating college are graduating with an average of $26,000 in debt. For most students, $26,000 is a lot of money when the average annual income for a first year graduate is only in the mid $40,000 a year range. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt has reached a new milestone, crossing the $1.2 trillion mark (Denhart, 2013, Introduction, par. 2). With student loan debt levels

Well, this is it, the day all of us have been waiting for has finally arrived. It seems like only yesterday we were picking our noses and flicking them at innocent bystanders or yelling childish phrases like, "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" or, wait, that was yesterday. Never mind. Anyways.

The sheer amount of debt that a college student acquires after they finish their schooling is an egregious sum. The average amount that a borrower owes after they graduate is $26,000 (Denhart). These now excessive amounts of debt are thrust upon graduates, both young and old, and could take several years to pay off. Additionally, the national student debt has increased from $80 billion to $500 billion from 1995 to 2011 ("Student debt"). A young adult, fresh out of school, potentially has few approaches to attempt to decrease a debt of such enormity with perhaps a limited income. While less than 1% of people have loans