Student Debt: Good, Bad, and Misunderstood

Media anecdotes about individuals with student debt are unrepresentative and misleading. The general perception of a student debt “crisis” misses the reality that most education borrowing improves people’s lives by increasing educational opportunities. Higher-income people carry more student debt than lower-income people. However, specific groups of people and specific types of debt cause serious difficulties. Finding solutions to the very real problems requires pinpointing the problems, targeting the solutions, and recognizing the responsibilities of both borrowers and taxpayers.