Over 800,000 self-employed people were behind on their student debt before the pandemic and may be ineligible or have the perception that they are ineligible for the relief they need to survive in a faltering economy. Because of structural inequities including racial wealth disparities, ongoing discrimination in the labor market, and inadequate funding for colleges that well serve higher numbers of students of color, Black borrowers and other borrowers of color carry more student debt and they have more difficulty paying it off.
Acknowledgements: The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) acknowledges generous support for this project from the Prudential Foundation.