Parent PLUS loans are a growing concern due to their limited income-driven repayment protections and their potential to maintain longstanding racial wealth gaps. Previous research has examined factors associated with student debt burdens of college graduates, but no research has examined factors related to parent borrowing for college. In this…

The current studies test the hypothesis that the financial burden of college can initiate a psychological process that has a negative influence on academic performance for students at selective colleges and universities. Prior studies linking high college costs and student loans to academic outcomes have not been grounded within relevant social…

The current studies test the hypothesis that the financial burden of college can initiate a psychological process that has a negative influence on academic performance for students at selective colleges and universities. Prior studies linking high college costs and student loans to academic outcomes have not been grounded within relevant social…

What influences college student borrowing? In a field experiment with a large community college, we send emails about federal student loans to students who have received information about financial aid but have not made a borrowing decision. A treatment reminding students that they need not borrow the maximum amount of available loan aid does not…

This report describes outcomes of 2015-16 bachelor's degree recipients 1 year after graduation. Outcomes include time to degree, amount borrowed for undergraduate education, postbaccalaureate enrollment, employment status, earnings and job characteristics, and steps taken toward a career in teaching. These findings are based on data from the first…

As the price of college continues to rise and students find themselves deeper in debt, Americans are clamoring for ways to reduce their out-of-pocket college costs and debt. Some lawmakers have proposed removing the cost of college tuition as a solution. However, this brief argues three points: (1) U.S. policymakers should be wary of countries…

In this perspectives brief, authors James Kvaal and Jessica Thompson explore the challenge of college affordability and summarize the campaign proposals to address it. Driven by steadily rising college costs and student debt, the 2020 presidential campaign has put the issues of college costs and student debt on the agenda as never before. Many…

College has never been so necessary or so expensive for Americans. Rising costs, state disinvestment, declining household incomes, and grant aid that has not kept pace lead more students to borrow, and borrow more, to go to school. While federal student loans are the safest option for students who need to borrow, rising student loan debt has…

This brochure provides details about types of federal student aid, federal student aid eligibility requirements, other types of financial aid and sources for additional funding, and key points to consider when taking out a student loan.

Every year, the BC Student Outcomes Program collects feedback from former students who took post-secondary programs. Student feedback is essential to maintain quality and relevance in the education system. In 2022, over 28,500 former students were surveyed; key results from those surveys are presented in this report. 90% of the former…

About seven million undergraduates each year rely on federal loans to enroll in and complete college Many students find that student loans are an excellent investment in their future and are able to successfully repay their loans. Others struggle to make payments, or make payments that do not keep up with accruing interest. This factsheet focuses…

This brief examines two types of state service-contingent aid programs: conditional grants/loans and loan forgiveness. Conditional grant or loan programs provide a financial award to currently enrolled students and, in exchange for receipt of the award, students must fulfill certain service or work requirements after graduating from college. Loan…

Students and families confront a detrimental lack of information and transparency when making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives: paying for college. The report analyzed thousands of financial aid award letters and found not only that financial aid is insufficient to cover the cost of college for many students, but also that…

Nearly 43 million college student borrowers across the United States owe more than $1.56 trillion in outstanding federal student loans. The number of student borrowers in the country has increased by 1.3 million, or 3.1 percent, over the past five years, while the amount of outstanding student debt in the country has increased by a whopping $…

The complex financial choices students must make are compounded by the fact that, for decades, the cost of college has been rising far faster than incomes. Between 2004-2005 and 2015-2016, prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at public institutions rose 34 percent, after adjustment for inflation. Students and their families have…