October 28, 2024
Addressing the student debt crisis is essential to building a more equitable higher education system that promotes social mobility and long-term success. By offering debt relief, we can offer all students — regardless of their background — a fair entry point into economic launch after higher education.
All too often, student debt unduly burdens students beyond the cost of their education. This is particularly true for students who live at the intersection of identity and lower socioeconomic status and who are often pushed toward unsubsidized loans. Students should not have to struggle to pay back large sums due to interest and servicing fees.
This issue is not just an individual burden. It is systemic and has a broad economic impact. Our students are trapped in a cycle of striving to pay for their education, yet still falling short due to higher and compounding interest rates that cause the debt to accumulate far beyond the initial amount borrowed and that can burden the borrower for decades. These factors often hold students back from pursuing home ownership, starting families, and launching their own businesses. The financial hardship negatively affects America’s economy. Worse, they prevent our democracy from truly upholding the American Dream — a promise of opportunity and the freedom to pursue a better life.
As champions for the positive transformation that is possible through higher education, we advocate for bipartisan efforts toward meaningful student debt relief. Equity in accessing and paying for higher education benefits all of society, and relieving the burden of debt is one crucial step toward creating a more just and inclusive future for everyone.