Student Loans

Student loans create debt burdens that impact families for generations. Black Americans in general, and Black and Latina women in particular -- often are forced to take on more college debt than their white counterparts in pursuit of the American Dream. The student debt burden is felt most acutely by attendees of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. CRL successfully led a coalition of advocates that achieved substantial student debt cancellation in 2022. We continue to advocate for higher education policies to protect student loan borrowers and their parents from falling into a cycle of debt that keeps them from engaging in wealth-building activities. 

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Maine’s For-Profit College Students Carry Heavy Debt Burdens and Struggle in Repayment

Students at Maine’s for-profit colleges carry higher levels of debt, borrow in higher percentages, and have worse repayment rates on that debt compared to their peers at public and private non-profit institutions. Because African Americans, females, and low-income students are disproportionately enrolled in Maine’s for-profit colleges, these poor outcomes fall more heavily on these vulnerable subgroups. This report uses the...

Connecticut’s For-Profit College Students Graduate at Low Rates, Carry Heavy Debt Burdens

Students at Connecticut’s for-profit colleges graduate at lower rates than their peers at public and private non-profit institutions. Those who do graduate carry higher levels of debt and higher default rates on that debt. Because African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately enrolled in Connecticut’s for-profit colleges, these poor outcomes fall more heavily on people of color. This report uses the...

Consumer Advocates Urge the Federal Communications Commission to Not Allow Student Loan Companies to Robocall Borrowers

Petitioners argue that the Budget Rules are arbitrary and capricious and unsupported by either the language of the statute or the record. This is not the case. The record abundantly supports each feature of the Budget Rules. In fact, the Budget Rules are a textbook balancing act by the Federal Communications Commission of the competing goals of the statute: to...

Colorado’s For-Profit College Students Struggle to Graduate, Pay Off Steep Debt Burdens

Students at Colorado’s for-profit colleges have less favorable outcomes in comparison to their peers at public and private non-profit institutions according to several key indicators, and the impact is greater on students of color. This report uses the data released from the US Department of Education (College Scorecard, September 2015) and compares public, private, and for-profit institutions (also referred to...

Strong Support for Allowing Former ITT Students to Access the Guaranty Fund

The Center for Responsible Lending strongly supports allowing former ITT students access to the Guaranty Fund. Over the past few years, CRL has been engaged in research and policy regarding for-profit institutions of higher education. During the 2016 legislative session, the Center for Responsible Lending submitted written testimony in support of SB 427, An Act Concerning Higher Education – Institutions...

Loopholes in the Department of Educations' Proposed Rule on State Authorization of Postsecondary Distance Education Programs

We are encouraged that the Department's proposal would generally require all providers of distance education to obtain state authorization in each state where they intend to enroll students. However, we have concerns that distance education students could still be subject to weaker protections under the proposed rule, for the following reasons: The proposal would permit state authorization through the use...

Sign-On Letter to Secretary of Education August 2016

This letter, on behalf of the National Consumer Law Center’s low-income clients, along with a coalition of national, state and local civil legal aid, civil rights, and public interest groups and advocates, calls for the need for data to ensure that the federal student loan program is a tool that helps students of color access a meaningful education and achieve...

Improvements to the Borrower Defense to Repayment Provision of the Higher Education Act

This letter suggests improvements to the rule that would amend the Borrower Defense to Repayment provision of the Higher Education Act (HEA) in order to ensure that students and taxpayers will not have to bear the economic burdens that arise when higher learning institutions make misrepresentations and fail to provide an adequate education to students. CRL applauds the Department for...

NC Student Loan Calculus: What North Carolina Can Do to Ensure All of Its Students Receive an Affordable, Quality College Education

The topic of student loan debt is increasingly gaining public attention. Too often, assumptions about debt are made that hide the real contours of the problem. For example, simply citing aggregated student loan debt loads at a state or national level suggests that every student loan borrower is the same– with identical financial backgrounds, borrowing to attend similar institutions, and...
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