The Student Loan Market Is A Growing Component Of The U.s. Economy

“Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good Idea?,” an article written by Kayla Webley in a 2012 issue of TIME magazine, discusses the solution of a one-time student loan bailout for all college students, and argues that, even though this solution is not the best, it is an answer nonetheless. Webley supports this claim by introducing a petition started by Robert Applebaum, a student burdened with $88,000 in college loan debt (130). However, she argues against his propositions, stating that the bail-out will not be an efficient stimulus politically or economically, many students will eventually be able to pay back their loan debt, and there are government programs already in place to give students financial

Because of the nation’s national rising debt, student loan forgiveness has been a significant topic of debate because of how much it can affect our nation’s debt and doesn’t always help the student. Student loan debt is one of the highest debt causes, but sometimes we forget that we are the ones that sign the line on the contract to be in years of debt. This is because we value our education. But this does not mean that just because we can’t find an amazing, high paying job right out of college that we should have our loans forgiven. We want the easy way out of something that isn’t easy, so why should the government pay for our debt? Yes, college is very expensive and that is the governments fault, but again we are the ones that signed the line on the loan papers. (Sam Adolphsen, 583)

As of today Americans are facing a outstanding debt of 1.3 trillion dollars in student loans alone and it 's up to 43 billion students to pay all of that back in full. Our most recent graduating Class of 2016 student is coming out of college owing an average of $37, 172 in loans, making an increase of 6% since 2015. Which is significant amount of growth to have within such a short period of time. Many of these students are unable to make their monthly payments whether it be because of the tremendously high interest rates or because they simply don 't have the sufficient funds to pay their monthly quotas. But many student are also not aware of different options that are available to them that help eliminate their student loans in full or to repay their loans in a very doable and manageable manner. In this paper I will be discussing and focusing on the three most beneficial and commonly known options which are, public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) , the four different type of income based repayment (IBR), and refinancing your loans.

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

Student loan debt is the second leading component of American consumer debt. Student loans can be seen as a challenge that has to be overcome, on top of college itself. This is an opportunity for college students or former college students to show their responsibility. It is the responsibility of the student to find some way to pay this debt. This situation should not be the taxpayers’ problem. Student loan debt is a problem that does not always have an easy solution for the debtor.

There is a critical financial trend in the United States: student debt is at an all-time high. For the first time in mid- 2013, student debt rose to 830 billion, surpassing the credit-card debt (Clemmitt). Many economists and scholars compare the student debt crisis to the housing bubble, which resulted in a nationwide recession 2008. In a senate hearing regarding the current student debt crisis, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said, “The warning signs are there, just like they were before the housing crisis, and congress needs to act before it is too late” (Bidwell). After graduation, many students find it difficult to repay their debt, due to the bleak job market. According to a report published on the financial website Smart money, ten percent student loans borrowers defaulted in 2010 (Clemmitt). The percent was larger for students that attended a for-profit educational institution, like a career college; fifteen percent of these students defaulted (Clemmitt). Although the default rates do not contribute to the increasing student debt, one can compare it to the mortgage crisis when people stopped paying their mortgages and the American economy crashed. This exemplifies the critical problem that the student debt bubble if burst; it can have devastating impacts on the vulnerable American economy. Three causes for the increase in student debt are due to recent trends in college attendance, the increase of for-profit colleges and the rise of tuition due to spending

Student loans are becoming more and more of a problem for college students all across the United States. As college tuition has significantly increased over the past years, it has become extremely common for most college students to finance their education through student loans. Tuition has become so expensive that it is almost unheard of for a student to pay for their tuition out of pocket or by working for their education part time. As the result of tuition being so high, many students often graduate from college with thousands of dollars in debt waiting to be paid off. More often than not, people do not think of the consequences of taking out so many student loans, they usually have some reasoning behind why they take out as many student loans as they do and in return do not think about the after-effects and consequences of borrowing that much money. Most people do not worry about their loans because they expect to make a decent salary after graduating and believe that they will be able to pay back all of the loans later on in life. Due to the extreme cost of college and students obligation to take out student loans, college campuses should require students to become aware of the dangers of pulling more student loans than necessary.

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 loans have become a popular topic of discussion due to the tuition increase and individuals taking out tremendous amounts of debt. Participating in higher education systems may have hidden costs that students may not be aware of. Students seeking higher education opportunities may not understand how their college decision should correlate with their possible career of choice. Natalie Lohrenz, a chief development officer and director of counseling at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County, advises students to not “take out more in student loans than what you expect to make in your first year of work.” Students who do not consider this rule will suffer from debt in the future. Previous college graduates did not have to choose

College students across the nation suppress a shudder when the phrase is uttered. They try to push it to the back of their mind, to save the problem for another day. Sadly, it cannot be ignored forever. Student loans over the United States have been becoming more frequent and increasing in size for years. According to M. Swig, Hickey, and S. Swig, there are now 41 million Americans burdened with having to pay student loans back. While one may question if taking out a student loan in the thousands is worth it, one should consider today 's society. To most people, college is the only option. Parents, families, and neighbors almost force it upon the young adults because they believe it’s the only way for them to be successful. Much of the nation views a higher education as the key component in an individual 's future job, wealth, and therefore general happiness. It is almost to the point where not attending would be comparable to breaking a social norm.

Not only do these loans have higher default rates than other types of loans, but they are also are less of a priority to borrowers in terms of paying back. Lenders may have a hard time to distinguish ideal borrowers against non-ideal borrowers leading to adverse selection. A challenge arises in the gauging of the intention of the borrower by the lenders leading to moral hazard. Although federal student loan interest rates tend to be fixed over it's time to maturity, the interest rates can be high leading to a tough situation for lenders and

“Over the past decade, the total volume of outstanding student loan debt has tripled and is now over $1 trillion” (Jaquette and Hillman). This alarming trend illustrates the immediate need to address the issue of college graduates suffering from excessive financial burden as a result of student loan debt. According to Ozan Jaquette, Ph.D., assistant professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Policy and Practice, and Nick Hillman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, “When borrowers default, they face a wide range of additional penalties, including lower credit scores, garnishing of wages and tax refunds, and the payment of collection agency fees.” Not all graduates are faced the

In “The Student Loan Problem No One is Talking About” (http://www.marketwatch.com/ story/the-student-loan-problem-no-one-is-talking-about-2016-07-12), Jillian Berman discusses how students who do not finish college often have the most problems with paying off their outstanding loans. She shows that despite the fact that drop-outs tend to have lower student loan balances, they are more likely to miss payments compared to their degreed counterparts. The article also presents a way to avoid this problem and a plan for how students can pay loans back without missing payments.

This personal finance paper will concentrate on the insufficient amount of guidance that is available concerning student loans. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how prospective and current college students are ill prepared in their education and understanding of student loans. Three major issues that will be outlined in this paper include the large majority of college students are no longer able to pay for college out of pocket due to the rising costs, the effect that national debt has on students degrees, and finally the lack of early financial education to make crucial decisions. Strategic recommendations these issues include for students to

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