Student Debt Forgiveness

Student loan debt affects college students all over the United States. Today students are having to take out loans in order to pay for all of their college expenses. It can be a pain to deal with the hassle of paying back the loans. The problems with student loans include causing students to go into debt that they are not able to pay them off in the given time which makes them put major life decisions on hold, and the debt stay with the student even through bankruptcy. A solution that would solve these problems is the idea of debt forgiveness which is the idea that the government will get rid of all the loan debt for college graduates.

Over his time as President, Barack Obama has changed the student loan experience tremendously. A new law passed in the same legislation that passed Obamacare allowed the Department of Education to be a direct lender of student loans and eliminated the subsidy program, where the government would hand out subsidies to banks, like Bank of America, who would then grant student loans (Altman, Edwards, & Thompson, 2015). In simpler terms, the government cut out the middle man. While the general public did not see these changes as dramatic, the Department of Education now had the power to make a new rule book for student loans; they had the power to decide how loans are disbursed, repaid, and forgiven, without passing laws through Congress (Altman,

Student loan forgiveness is a terrible idea. Sure, in an idealistic world it would be great if the country could forgive all student loan debt and thus bring relief to all students across the nation. Realistic? Not necessarily! Instead of the fairytale notion of student loan forgiveness being the answer to all the problems, America would fair better in taking the initiative in making reforms to the educational loan system that are a bit more realistic. Student loans are a massive predicament in the U.S. that can no longer be ignored. The Atlantic 311.2 article “The myth of the student-loan crisis(CHARTIST)(Statistical data)” by Allan, Nicole, and Derek Thompson states that to date student loan debt surpasses all other forms of debt with over a one trillion dollars sum (2013). The United States should stop being complacent on an issue that has affected and ruined so many lives and begin finding ways to relieve the proverbial and ever-present menacing “Student Loan” pitfall.

In the article “Is forgiving student loan debt a good idea” by Kayla Webley, a writer for Time, Webley feels that from a human standpoint forgiving student debt holds some appeal (2). Kayla Webley refers to Robert Applebaum who started a petition in 2009 with a petition of nearly 670,000 signatures. The comments from persons posting the petition are quoted as “guessing this will never happen but it can’t hurt to sign on” (1). Burdened with an estimated $88,000 in debt, Applebaum’s proposal is to provide a one-time bailout, of student loan debt-as a way to stimulate the still limp economy (2). Webley goes on to explain that such a plan has a problem. The problem being is that with an educational bailout most borrowers who can and should pay off their student loan would take this bailout, along with the students who really can not afford their loan payments and need the relief from their student loans. In Webley’s words “If forgiveness from a bailout was offered, who wouldn’t take the handout (3).

The qualifications for the program are tough and federal loan forgiveness only applies to federal Direct Loans, not private student loans. If the graduate is lucky enough to land a public service job the graduate must realize that there is no guarantee that the employment will still be around in ten years since no one truly knows how the program will work or if it will work at all. Val Meyers, associate director for the Office of Financial Aid at Michigan State University comments are recorded in Susan Tompers’ article “My Apologies: Forgiving Student Debt is Tough”:

If the students pursue his/her career in the public service they can even be qualified for forgiveness after 10 years or 120 payments, and not 20 or 25 years. Making it a very promising program, the Obama Student Loan Forgiveness act is still controversial, because the students who study on behalf of other workers who pay taxes since day 1 from employment isn’t

Another option that students with debt may take would be joining the military. The military has its own loan forgiveness program. Another thing that the military has is strict rules about who can be in the military. People in the military rather it is the Army or the National Guard have to be healthy. It is not someone’s fault if they are not in perfect condition because for the most part our health is out of our hands. Basic things like not smoking can help prevent someone from being unhealthy, but no one can avoid their family history when it comes to their health.

Student debt is a topic that generates a lot of debates. From politicians to lenders to students, everyone has an opinion on the topic. With a trillion dollar national debt, it’s not surprising why the topic is such a huge issue and the solutions are even greater. The student debt is a form of debt that is owed when a student has completed college or drop out. The average interest rates for the ungraduated and graduated are 4.45% to 6% (Quadlin). To pay off all the students’ debt, it will take 10-25 years to complete it. College students will have at least six months before they have to make the first payment. Student debts can be a real problem for those who aren’t preparing for them. Student loans debt should have a longer grace period, lower monthly payments and repayment programs that apply to all because students will be able to manage and repay their debts in a timely manner.

President Obama seems to be helping with these debts the best that he can with certain programs that he has made available to the lower working class that are attempting to attend college. I believe that the government should be helping out students that are responsible enough to take on the commitment. Although society’s norms lead people to believe that student loans are the ideal solution to fund a college education, in actuality, it is more likely to drive students deeper into poverty without government assistance.

Another option that students with debt may take would be joining the military. The military has its own loan forgiveness program. Another thing that the military has is strict rules about who can be in the military. People in the military rather it is the Army or the National Guard have to be healthy. It is not someone’s fault if they are not in perfect condition because for the most part our health is out of our hands. Basic things like not smoking

According to the New America Foundation, as much as 40 percent of the nation 's recent federal loan disbursements are for graduate student debt. Graduate student borrowers are much more likely to have substantial loan amounts forgiven under the income-based repayment, Pay As You Earn and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs.

Americans have amassed more than $1.3 trillion of student loan debt (Clements). A lot of graduates are postponing life events like having kids, buying a house, to deal with the debt. About 14% of student are in default. Default means failing to make payments on your loan as scheduled. Defaults usually results in larger loan balances. With this upcoming election, it 's crucial for candidates to address student loan debt and their solutions. As a potential voter, it’s important I select the candidate that will benefits me and get rid of my loan debt.

Most students do not make enough money to be able to pay for college debt free. In addition, most families don’t make enough money to pay for the college costs upfront. For this reason, students have been borrowing money from private loans to be able to attend a college/university. Although the government might give several students, who apply, money to pay for books and housing, it does not cover the total cost to attend college and obtain a degree. This might not be encouraging for students who wish to receive an education but do not want to owe money in the future. Loans have been scaring off students who wish to further their education and live their lives comfortably after college. If student loans were to be forgiven, graduates would not have to worry about owing a large amount of money.

What do you think of when you hear the words college graduate? Well, in most scenarios, these words would be exciting to someone that just graduated college who have put in years of hard work and dedication to better educate and promote themselves for their future careers. Sadly enough, this is too far common not the case. In today’s society, students are graduating college with piles of debt at an alarming rate. With a troubled economy that is recovering from a recession and jobs difficult to come by for a lot of graduates with bachelor’s degrees, the student loan debt in the United States is bound to be a major crisis that could severely weaken and crimp the economy even more in the coming years.

Student Loans: What They Are, What The Evolution of Student Loans Has Looked Like, and What The Current Policy Is.