The Real Origins of the Student Debt Crisis

Once upon a time, borrowing money for college was an affordable path towards upward mobility. Today, it’s a crisis. With Americans owing a whopping $1.7 trillion in student loans. So how did the student debt crisis get so out of control? From bungled government programs to Sputnik to the Great Recession, “How We Got Here” unpacks the history behind spiraling student debt…with interest! SOURCESOnly 25% of those with student loans went to graduate school—but they owe around 50% of all student debt | CNBCStudent loans are now easier to discharge in bankruptcy, attorneys say: It's 'life changing' | CNBCAverage Cost of College [2023]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses | Education Data InitiativeEverything you need to know about college costs - VoxStudent loan forgiveness: What to know about Biden’s $39 billion plan - VoxWhy Does College Cost So Much? - The New York TimesIntroducing Bennett Hypothesis 2.0 | Center for College Affordability and ProductivityStatement Before the House Committee on Education and Workforce On Lowering Costs and Increasing Value for Students, Institution | Texas Public Policy FoundationIs Rising Student Debt Harming the U.S. Economy? | CFRStudent loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN PoliticsFederal Student Loan Borrowers Reveal Grim Expectations for Payment Resumption | Morning ConsultDrivers of the Rising Price of a College Education | MHECMSD Annual Report 2022 - Student Debt and Young AmericaState Funding for Higher Education Still Lagging | NEAEducation; College Officials Defend Sharply Rising Tuition - The New York TimesStudent loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN PoliticsThe Political Case For Student Debt Cancellation | Data for ProgressPublic Law 94-482 94th Congress An Act