Student Loans

Understanding the data behind student loans is essential for reporters covering this beat

Students loans — and especially today’s widespread reliance on them — are a relatively recent phenomenon in the American higher education system

Some key concepts for a better understanding of this topic

Most American adults do not have student loans; just under one in five do. That’s in part because many Americans don’t go to college, but even among those who do, 40% of two- and four-year student

In the years since the presidential candidate Bernie Sanders introduced the idea of widespread debt forgiveness into the mainstream, it’s become a common rallying cry among younger, progressive vote

Fertile ground for journalists include forgiveness, parent loans and claims of victimhood

A college degree is widely considered one of the most reliable paths toward upward economic mobiilty