Student loan borrowers of color disproportionately bear the brunt of America’s student debt crisis, and sadly, the extraordinary levels of delinquency and default across these communities is preventable. The most vulnerable student loan borrowers have a right under federal law to make affordable student loan payments—a powerful protection that should make student loan defaults extremely rare. However, mounting evidence shows that borrowers of color continue to experience extremely high rates of delinquency and default, particularly when compared to their white peers. This evidence suggests that the consumer finance companies responsible for administering these protections—student loan servicers—have failed millions of African American and Latino student loan borrowers.
