For many Americans, student debt has been one of the defining issues of Joe Biden’s presidency. This is in large part because of the considerable discussion prior to Biden’s student debt relief proposal about whether Biden would actually cancel student debt—and, if so, how much (and for whom) debt relief might be made available. In the course of these discussions [...]

In 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported  (log in required) on what many Black college graduates understand too well: a college degree is not necessarily making them wealthier. According to its analysis of Federal Reserve data, the m[...]

In this season of college admissions and state budget making across the country, we need a clearer discussion about the costs of preparing individuals and society for what’s sure to be a challenging future. For starters, student debt today exceeds $1.7 trillion. We[...]

Working in the community college sector, it’s frustrating when the press runs articles declaring how difficult it is to get into college. Yes, the most exclusive colleges and universities are increasingly difficult to access, but they’re hardly a representative sample of “college” in the US. Depending on how they’re counted, about a third of the undergraduates in the US attend communi[...]

Government disinvestment in public higher education and the rise in college tuition over the last forty years are fundamental and interconnected factors contributing to the student loan debt crisis. Disinvestment in public higher education, though variable across states, has followed a similar pattern wherein federal and state governments have shifted the cost of public higher educ[...]