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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Debt and Disillusionment: Stories of Former For-Profit College Students as Shared in Florida Focus Groups

Debt and Disillusionment: Stories of Former For-Profit College Students as Shared in Florida Focus Groups

Florida is fertile ground for studying for-profit education, given the industry’s outsized presence there and a weak state regulatory environment. In the early summer of 2017, The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) conducted focus groups in Orlando, Florida with 75 individuals who had attended for-profit colleges within the last 10 years and borrowed to finance their education. The research sought...
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Research
Student Loans

New Poll Shows Overwhelming Concern Among Voters Regarding the Level of Student Debt

New Poll Shows Overwhelming Concern Among Voters Regarding the Level of Student Debt

A recent poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting shows overwhelming concern among voters regarding the level of student debt. Across parties, a majority of voters agree that the amount of student loan debt represents a crisis, with 71% of Democrats, 67% independents, and 57% of Republicans in agreement. Almost three in five independents (58%) strongly agree...
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Research
Student Loans

CRL to Secretary DeVos: Work with - Not Against - Law Enforcement to End Student Loan Abuses

CRL to Secretary DeVos: Work with - Not Against - Law Enforcement to End Student Loan Abuses

In response to the Education Department’s stated interests to end an 18-year old departmental practice of sharing information with law enforcement officials, the Center for Responsible Lending recently wrote comments urging Secretary Betsy DeVos to continue the productive and long-standing exchanges. Citing recent collaborations that together returned or forgave more than $36 million to harmed consumers in just four states...
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Comment Letter
Student Loans

A Bitter Pill: Gainful Employment and Credentialism in Healthcare Support Fields

A Bitter Pill: Gainful Employment and Credentialism in Healthcare Support Fields

The marketing of for-profit colleges is ubiquitous, yet student outcomes are consistently poor. These outcomes include high dropout rates, low and unstable earnings of graduates, and heavy debt burdens that students are unable to repay, often resulting in default and ruined credit. The reliance of for-profit colleges on federal student aid dollars compounds these harms and fuels these poor student...
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Research
Student Loans

Poll: Concern over Student Loan Debt Reaches Critical Mass in Maryland

Poll: Concern over Student Loan Debt Reaches Critical Mass in Maryland

Among Maryland voters, concern over student loan debt has reached a critical mass: 71% say student loan debt in the state is a "major problem;" 82% agree that the overall outstanding student loan debt represents a financial crisis; and 87% say the federal government should not force states to step aside when addressing the student loan crisis, but work with...
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Research
Student Loans

Comments on Priorities for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA)

Comments on Priorities for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA)

Any proposal should hold to the spirit of the original HEA which sought to open the doors of higher education to all. This proposition connotes meaningful access and opportunity to quality higher education programs, not simply the creation of more options or the provision of unduly burdensome loans. Despite this goal, our current system is at risk of curtailing the...
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Comment Letter
Student Loans

War Against Students: H.R. 4508 – Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act

War Against Students: H.R. 4508 – Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act

The PROSPER Act is yet another boost for the private sector instead of consumers and taxpayers. At a time when college affordability is increasingly beyond the financial reach of most Americans, the future of higher education and student lending will affect both consumers and our nation’s ability to effectively compete in a global economy. With more than 44 million Americans...
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Research
Student Loans

Opposition to H.R. 4508 - Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act

Opposition to H.R. 4508 - Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act

This letter to Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, voices CRL's strong opposition to H.R. 4508, "Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act." Prosperity and economic security are laudable and elusive goals for many Americans, and we believe the Higher Education Act should play a key role in increasing...
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Letters to Congress
Student Loans

Results of Bipartisan Poll on Student Loan Refinancing

Results of Bipartisan Poll on Student Loan Refinancing

This poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting shows overwhelming support among likely voters for policy proposals that assist those with education debt, with particularly high support for proposals that permit borrowers to refinance existing loans2 and to create flexible repayment options. 91 percent of voters favor permitting borrowers to refinance their existing student loans at a...
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Research
Student Loans
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