About this episode
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! SOURCES Only 25% of those with student loans went to graduate school—but they owe around 50% of all student debt | CNBC Student loans are now easier to discharge in bankruptcy, attorneys say: It's 'life changing' | CNBC Average Cost of College [2023]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses | Education Data Initiative Everything you need to know about college costs - Vox Student loan forgiveness: What to know about Biden’s $39 billion plan - Vox Why Does College Cost So Much? - The New York Times Introducing Bennett Hypothesis 2.0 | Center for College Affordability and Productivity Statement Before the House Committee on Education and Workforce On Lowering Costs and Increasing Value for Students, Institution | Texas Public Policy Foundation Is Rising Student Debt Harming the U.S. Economy? | CFR Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics Federal Student Loan Borrowers Reveal Grim Expectations for Payment Resumption | Morning Consult Drivers of the Rising Price of a College Education | MHEC MSD Annual Report 2022 - Student Debt and Young America State Funding for Higher Education Still Lagging | NEA Education; College Officials Defend Sharply Rising Tuition - The New York Times Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics The Political Case For Student Debt Cancellation | Data for Progress Public Law 94-482 94th Congress An Act Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.