"And if you assume there's a likelihood it's canceled, you're going to be more likely to take out more debt up front. That's going to give colleges more pricing power to raise tuition without pressure and to offer more low-value degrees."
Student loan forgiveness, especially large amounts, is disproportionately given to the most educated rather than the least educated who perhaps need the most help! It's a regressive government program, taking from those with the least ability to earn and giving to those with the most ability to earn.
When the government forgives loans, it's not erasing debt but shifting it from individuals to taxpayers. This increases government debt, which can have long-term economic consequences. Poor people might seem to benefit initially, but everyone pays the price later through potential inflation or higher taxes.
1 Forgiveness is fundamentally unfair because it will ultimately be paid by taxpayers—many who have faithfully paid off their student loans, worked hard to pay for college, or chose not to go to college at all.
Another concern of forgiving student debt is “moral hazard,” the idea that students might make riskier choices if they think their debt will end up being forgiven, Jones said.
Student loan debt slows new business growth and limits consumer spending. Broad student loan debt forgiveness may help boost the national economy by making it more affordable for borrowers to participate in it.
In February 2022, CRFB argued that “cancellation of all outstanding student debt would boost . . . inflation by 37 to 50 basis points.” Given that canceling all student debt is more than six times the cost of canceling $10,000, it's hard to see how these two numbers square.
Research has shown that cancellation would boost GDP by billions of dollars and add up to 1.5 million new jobs, reducing the unemployment rate. 5 Workers who are Black, Latinx, immigrants, women, and those in industries paying low wages are still facing a terrible economic situation with high levels of unemployment.
Student Debt vs Income by Age Groups
Among the age groups, adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are the most likely to have student loan debt. Meanwhile, adults between the ages of 35 and 49 years old on average owe the most student loan debt.
It penalizes hard-working Americans
We've already discussed how the poor and working classes are treated unfairly by this plan. But the unfairness extends to many middle class families as well who worked hard to pay off their student loans or their children's student loans.
Key Takeaways. Carrying student debt can affect your ability to buy a home if your debt-to-income ratio is too high. If you have too much student loan debt, you won't be able to save as much for retirement. Student loan debt can lower your credit score, especially if you fail to make on-time payments.
The initiative reports total student loan debt in the U.S. is $1.753 trillion, a huge figure, although the total shrank by a small amount in 2023. This highlights the real problem facing higher education in the United States today.
Consistent with predictions derived from theories of operant learning, perhaps forgiving relatively disagreeable or negative partners led to decreased self-respect and increased problem severity in those studies because it failed to discourage those partners from continuing their negative behaviors.
It may take years to reestablish a good credit record. You may not be able to purchase or sell assets such as real estate. Your loan holder can take you to court. You may be charged court costs, collection fees, attorney's fees, and other costs associated with the collection process.
Although loan forgiveness can impact a credit score, the effect is often temporary. And for borrowers with federal student loans in default, the Fresh Start program could give them a clean slate, removing the default from their credit reports.
If the debt forgiveness program is permitted to move forward, at a time when consumer spending already is high, it could lead to more inflation, Jones said. “We certainly don't have a consumer spending problem right now,” he said.
The Qualtrics/Intuit Credit Karma report found 20 percent of borrowers hadn't made any payments on their loans. The percentage was even higher, at 27 percent, for borrowers who made less than $50,000 a year.
Myth: Student loan forgiveness is the fair way to help Americans escape massive amounts of debt. Fact: Borrowers signed on the dotted line for their loans. Erasing these loans does not teach borrowers to manage their debts. Moreover, the cancelation is an insult to those who diligently paid off their loans.
Arguments for student loan debt cancellation include economic stimulus and business growth while arguments against claim cancellation would lead to inflation and higher interest rates. Projections indicate cancelling student debt up to $10,000 per borrower would deliver an ROI between 145% and 208% after 10 years.
Student loan debt cancellation is essential to the financial wellness of millions of Americans. With student debt cancellations, people will be able to pay off other debts, purchase homes, and invest in their communities, futures, and the American economy.
As of mid-July 2023, approximately 662,000 borrowers have qualified for forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver.
If your monthly payment does not cover the accrued interest, your loan balance will go up, even though you're making payments. Unpaid interest will also capitalize each year until your total balance is 10% higher than the original balance. This means you will pay interest on your interest.
The average federal student loan debt is $37,853 per borrower. Outstanding private student loan debt totals $128.8 billion. The average student borrows over $30,000 to pursue a bachelor's degree.