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Student loan refers to money payable on money borrowed out to cover school costs. Student loans are now the only way the majority of students can help pay for college tuition due
to tuition fees increasing each year. The majority of federal student loan debt was managed in the United States by a publicly listed firm called Sallie Mae until its debt loan operations and portfolio were eventually handed over to another organization called Navient in the year 2014. College loans are often generated once a student takes out loans to finance a fraction of their tuition, which is not covered by their funds, grants, parental or caregiver loans, or scholarships. Although students can have savings they can put toward the expense of higher learning, the mounting cost of learning at most schooling institutions is making it more challenging to meet such expenditures without some financial aid. With the rising cost of tuition, materials, and other additional fees, student loan debt can quickly mount, particularly for graduate degrees. Even though it is expected that students will seek occupations and professions that would allow them to pay off their debt over time, there seem to be no assurances that they will do so post-graduation. The benefit of student loans is that it would be feasible to make much more income or follow a much more personally gratifying job by taking loans to earn a degree, rendering the loan economically justified. One of the disadvantages of college loans is that certain undergraduate students accumulate debt without ever graduating.
In contrast, others accumulate more outstanding loans than they will ever safely repay, considering their career choice. Student loan debt is also unique in that most people acquire it at an early age before truly understanding the consequences of their choices (Houle and Cody 92). Additionally, unlike other types of loans, student loan debt is often not cancellable in bankruptcy unless there is an exigent circumstance. Working while still in college, getting scholarships, and attending a public, in-state college can help students avoid getting into debt to pay for their degree. College loans that are in the form of direct loans from the federal government can be helpful for graduates who end up working in public services and professions. They can work for a specified amount of time while completing a specified number of repayments on their loans and qualify or become eligible for part of or the remaining amount of their loan debts being canceled. Additionally, students who receive college loans from the federal government and become eligible for specific repayment programs, like those based on their income, are capable of qualifying for their outstanding debt amounts to be canceled after 20 to 25 years of repayment based on the program. Forgiveness, cancelation, or discharge of a loan means that some or all of the loans are no longer required to be repaid. Discharge, cancelation, and forgiveness have meanings that are almost similar. If an individual is no longer obliged to pay their outstanding loan due to their employment, it is generally referred to as cancelation or forgiveness. However, if due to other reasons, such as permanent disability or the learning institution where the loan was received is closed, loan repayments are no longer needed; this is referred to as discharge. Therefore, the issue of college debt is of a great magnitude and requires to be examined at a deeper level to understand how it can be managed.
When college debt undermines the health and well-being of youthful borrowers, it is too much. According to studies, the stress of debt negatively impacts mental health, physical well-being, and personal fulfillment (Pisaniello et al. 11). It also prompts borrowers to put off getting married, renting or purchasing a property, and beginning new enterprises. Student loan debt is also excessive when it prevents people from achieving the American dream, which is the belief that prosperity is attainable in the United States regardless of one’s upbringing (Shireman 189). Students who are the first in their families to go to college and those that are from low-income families have a significantly harder time repaying their college debt and are much more likely to default than other students. African Americans, who owe 60% more than white students, struggle considerably more to pay their debts, owing to ongoing racial inequality and economic disparities. The government’s initial intention in financing students was to assist low-income individuals in obtaining college degrees. However, it is today’s borrowers who are much more disadvantaged by college debt. College debt worsens income disparity, especially among white and black families.
Student loans are commonly regarded as a means of achieving social mobility. However, this only functions if the borrowers’ financial situation improves enough over time to allow them to pay back the debt. This may not be the case for several debtors. Even among graduate students, African Americans receive significantly less income from their degrees than white students and are saddled with far higher loan payments. African American graduates also have more challenges in achieving financial freedom from their families, in part due to labor market prejudice, which makes it harder to get the higher-paying and better-benefit positions that tertiary education is intended to give. As a result, Black students still owe approximately 90% of what they received two decades after enrollment instead of less than 10% for white grads.
As of 2020, the majority of students in America are forced to get loans to be able to go through college. The average debt in student loans in 2020 topped approximately $37,000. Furthermore, the collective debt is close to $1.6 trillion, as stated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Swilley). Getting a degree nowadays necessitates a far more considerable financial investment than it did some decades ago. The average cost for a student to obtain a four-year degree from a public university has increased substantially in the last 30 years. In contrast, it has more than doubled at private four-year institutions, as per the College Board. Investments and savings are still not enough for most Americans to cover their expenses. As a result, more students and parents turn to loans to fund their postsecondary studies, and the average student loan debt continues to rise. As per Experian spokesperson Amanda Garofalo, the cumulative number of current college loan debt hit a record high of $1.57 trillion in 2020. Furthermore, the website SavingforCollege.com states that overall student loans may exceed $2 trillion by 2024 and $3 trillion by 2038 at the present rate of increase. The rising cost of schooling is undoubtedly a significant contributor to the increasing level of debt. An in-state student pursuing a four-year degree in a public university costs nearly $25,500 for each academic year. On the other hand, private universities spend a yearly average of up to $53,000, where tuition and fees were accounting for $35,801. There is a substantial detrimental impact on the economy when student graduates seeking a job are in debt of close to $30,000. Despite having a degree, fresh graduates are often compelled to accept employments that pay low income and require low skills so that they can start paying off their college debts immediately. Consequently, such graduates end up missing out on the distinct advantages and benefits received by degree-holding graduates who have no debts. Moreover, graduates with pending college loans are 36 percent less inclined to buy a home, according to ProgressNow, and additional data shows that ‘those with college loan debt are also less likely to be taking out vehicle loans (Scott III and Bloom).
College attendance is increasing, and far more students from low- and middle-income households are enrolling. An increase in student loan debt results from a couple of things. The fall in the earnings advantage for grads compared to non-graduates is one explanation. It has not declined sharply, but it has dropped to record lows for individuals born after 1980. The rate of interest charged on the loans given out also contributes to the increase. Another consideration is the new regulations put in place by the federal government. New restrictions govern who can borrow and how much they can owe. The expense of attending college and university has been rising. Tuition has increased, notably at four-year public universities, but it isn’t as much of an impact as well-publicized rises in advertised price tags; the tuition net of scholarships has not grown at all after accounting for grants and scholarships at private four-year universities.
From 1990 to 2012, there was a 62% rise in undergraduate students who borrowed college loans to pursue a degree. The increase in tuition fees caused the increase. Also, within the same time span, there was a 39% surge in the median loan amount. Students frequently borrow loans to cater for living expenses even though the average undergraduate student at a community college receives sufficient financial support to pay for their tuition and other additional fees. Borrowing has become accessible and affordable due to the federal government’s altering existing criteria. For instance, parents were allowed to borrow in 1980 after Congress passed a law. Moreover, the income restriction on individuals who could borrow loans was removed by Congress in 1992. It also increased the undergraduate borrowing limit for students and removed the limit of borrowing for parents. In 2006, the limit on how much college students could borrow was abolished. Consequently, many parents took out and are still taking out additional loans. Parents’ borrowing has tripled over the past two decades owing to these laws. Thus, an increasing number of parents have debts.
In 2014, over $100,000 were owned by 8.8% of the parent borrowers starting payment on their final loan, compared with 0.4% in 2000. Obtaining college loans for graduate studies is at an all-time high. For example, average yearly borrowing by undergraduate students surged by roughly 75% (to $7,280) from 1994 to 2014, whereas average yearly borrowing by graduate students surged by 110 percent (to $23,875). President Joe Biden recently called for $10,000 for loan forgiveness from students, whereas others, like Senator Elizabeth Warren, called for loan forgiveness of up to $50,000. Some have even called for total debt relief, which throughout the last 20 years could very well symbolize higher expenditure than aggregate unemployment benefits expenditure. Sixty-three percent of participants have consistently supported a $20,000 reduction in student loans in a Center for Responsible Lending survey. As policymakers tackle this issue, the links between loan forgiveness and family behavior are essential to watch.
In conclusion, Student loans are increased by rising educational fees and the need to thrive in the labor market. Over half of all students across the United States have to borrow money to pay for college (Shireman 187). Those individuals who do not finish their education are more prone to default on their loans. Provided one graduate and can repay their student debt, higher education is often worth the financial commitment. College is often considered the most significant driver for upward mobility, but financial risks are involved. Several students do not have access to university fees without taking student loans. Although graduating from a university may result in higher income, it does not always imply student loan worthiness. Newly college graduates struggle to find work and some employers hire someone else that has work experience rather than a degree. This leads to the graduate accepting jobs that are out of their field of education and are overqualified for based on their education (Leonhardt 103).
Borrowing money is an important decision that should take into account in many aspects. For decades, high school, employment opportunities, the cost of your school, and the total amount of student loans can impact the finances of one’s family. After high school, the decision to continue one’s education is a very personal one. Nonetheless, once a person has decided, it is critical to budget out the funds ahead of time so that they are not overwhelmed when it comes to paying for classes. In addition, once a person begins college courses, it is critical to complete them with passing grades and obtain a degree. The worst-case scenario is accumulating student debt and then failing to acquire a college degree and the benefits it holds in your future in your career.
Works Cited
- Houle, Jason N., and Cody Warner. ‘Into the red and back to the nest? Student debt, college completion, and returning to the parental home among young adults.’ Sociology of Education 90.1 2017, 89-108.
- Leonhardt, David. “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say.” The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 9th ed. Pearson, 2017, 102-105.
- Pisaniello, Monique Simone, et al. ‘Effect of medical student debt on mental health, academic performance and specialty choice: a systematic review.’ BMJ open 9.7 2019, e029980.
- Scott III, Robert H., and Steven Bloom. ‘Student loan debt and first-time home buying in the USA.’ International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 2021.
- Shireman, Robert. ‘Learn now, pay later: A history of income-contingent student loans in the United States.’ The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 671.1 2017, 184-201.
- Swilley, N. ‘The college debt crisis is even worse than you think.’ Boston Globe, 2016.
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