Student Loan Debt

“Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for our future generations” (Ron Lewis). There are more students enrolling in post-secondary schools than ever before and consequently there are more students acquiring large debts. Once a student graduates, they enter a $33,000 or more student loan debt (Students Loan Resources). These student loans continue to place graduates into large debts, which is largely caused by their lack of knowledge of available resources, and this impacts their everyday lives and future generations.

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.

5. Base on class statistics 83 percent out of 16 percent thinks the government should forgive student loan debt once a student has completed college and has obtain a job in the field of study.

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

oday, society stresses the importance of postsecondary education to students due to the countless ways that an associates, bachelors, masters, or doctorate can enhance an individual future. For an individual to reach financial security in the United States’ economy it is basically mandatory that they have received a college degree. Postsecondary education will provide skills and knowledge that will prepare individuals to be successful within their career as they compete for leading positions. Overall as an individual receives a college degree they will become more likely to experience job security and financial security, and this is important to most as they hope to live a stable life. In college, students are taking as many as one hundred credit hours which contributes to most also accumulating student loan debt as they try to finance their education. Even though the completion of a postsecondary education will contribute to a graduate obtaining a respectable income it may also cause graduates to suffer from high student loan debt which will negatively impact their finances far into their adulthood. R.J. Matson created the image above to emphasize how student loan debt negatively impacts student and changes need to be made to avoid stress caused by the debt.

When individuals are in college, they are often blissfully of just how much student loan debt that they are racking up. When individuals graduate from college, they often have a high degree of sticker shock when they realize just how much student loan debt they have accrued. People are also of the mindset that there is nothing they can do with their student loan debt but pay for it. However, they are plenty of programs that individuals can use to pay off their student loan debt or even have it completely cancelled. The first step is simply to ask. Sometimes even asking the student loan servicer will help individuals to get their student loans debts cancelled or forgiven. Here are tips for working with your student loans:

As Young teenagers become adults and start College, one issue that doesn’t seem as a big deal at the moment for many students are student loans. Young college students who don’t have the money, don’t have enough scholarship money, or family who doesn’t have the money to pay, will apply for student loans each year. They amount the student receives can vary depending on the college and what the student has achieved academically. Though interest rates are low with subsidized being 4.29% and unsubsidized being 5.84% ("Federal Student Aid" Interest rates and Fees), student loans still have a huge effect on college students once they graduate. One college graduate’s story helps explain the struggles for most students:

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

Student debt can socially affect a person’s life for years after graduation. Taking out thousands of dollars in loans causes a negative effect in student’s lives. In reference to Natasha Yurk Quadlin and Daniel Rudel, who has a Ph.D. in sociology and both work at Indiana State University, student loans affect persistence and completion for undergraduates. There is a correlation between how students do in their classes, the amount of time spent on their work, and the amount of time working in a job to pay off debt. Students become so stressed that they do not complete their college courses and enter their path of a new career. (Quadlin, Rudel, 2015). When students do not perform well in their classes, they tend to want to compensate for it. However, they cannot because they have to go to their jobs, to help pay off the thousands of debt that they owe and for their everyday necessities. Due to the amount of stress that they have to handle, it affects their personal health. Katrina Walsemann, in a representative study on student loans and early adult mental health, argues that “We are speculating that part of the reason that these types of loans are so stressful is the fact that you cannot defer them, they follow you for the rest of your life until you pay them off,” (Blake, 2015). It also mentions that the students with higher levels of debt incurred, have had higher levels of depressive symptoms. A college student’s overall health is

College is not just a choice, it's the beginning of a lifelong journey, one that will shape and determine future choices, decisions and purposes. A high school graduate tends to have no background of job experience or any essential skills to work at a decent company. Throughout the years, America has always debated whether higher education helps people succeed or if needed, but with that come along many risk and benefits for state funding.

While higher education continues to grow in popularity as an important investment in American society, the student loan debt that accompanies this education also continues to grow as a burden to the American economy. Although the plethora of debt most commonly applies to graduate students and college dropouts rather than undergraduate students, student loan debt has accumulated to $1.2 trillion and continues to grow. Student loan debt made up 13% of the debt accumulated for adults between the ages of 20 and 29 in 2005, and has grown to account for 37% of the age group’s debt in 2014. Even though the government made $66 billion in profit on federal student loans from 2007 to 2012, the American economy shows very little positive feedback if any at all. About ten million federal student loans are taken out annually with an average loan balance of $15,900 in 2005 and up to $25,500 in 2014. The debt accumulated from these loans has made a larger gap in economic inequality, has limited entrepreneurship, and has prevented future loans from being taken out because of damaged credit ratings. Student loan

Tuition and student debt at colleges and universities in America have been rising far more quickly than inflation for over four decades. This is a trend that will continue without intervention. Student debt drastically affects students’ lives and decisions from getting married, to buying home, or to starting a business. The amount of debt held by students after graduating not only negatively affects the individual, but the economy as well. Loads of economic activity is currently halted by students working to pay off their loans. This is a consequential problem and the increasing number of student debt in America must be addressed.

Throughout the United States, student loans have been show to drag this economy down. Student loans have been a big problem through many of the years. It has been showing a trend and it is raising and exceeding many of the debt types each year. Many problems that students that have loans cause are, “ 20 percent of respondents indicated they cannot get a loan for other items, are unable to purchase a home, and student loan debt negatively impacts their credit. 18 percent of individuals indicated they are living paycheck to paycheck, “drowning” in debt, and have a large debt load. 13 percent indicated they have a lower quality of life and are unable to afford the extra things. 12 percent indicated they are unable to save for their retirement or their children’s education and feel less secure.” Students that have

Although the majority of students in college struggle with finances, STEM majors and underrepresented minorities, specifically have a daunting task of paying for college at a remarkably young age. According to the article, “Debt Overload”, by the National Society of Professional Engineers, “…28% of African American students reported $33,500 or more of undergraduate debt compared to 15% of Caucasian students.” Also, students with Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, or Mathematics majors accrue over $20,000 a year in debt. Majority of student loan debt exceeded $900 billion in the first quarter of 2012, up $30 billion from the previous quarter, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported on May 31. This number has increased by $663 billion since just 2003. Student debt is so widespread that two-thirds of the class of 2010 graduated with loans averaging $25,250 each, according to the Project on Student Debt. While studying the article, it was clear that another possible reason that students did not enter the STEM profession was because they could not afford to go in debt for a degree that often required further education after a Bachelors. At the same time, the country is

A major problem students encounter in higher education is debt. Students acquire these deficits in higher education for many reasons such as credit card debt, student loans, and high payment plans. Some people say that dues are not a problem, but it can have a great impact on a student's life - even after college. This research will make people aware of the growing problem that is indebtedness.