States Tackle Student Debt and For-Profit Colleges Rise

Washington, DC - As Democratic presidential candidates debate student debt, States attempt to tackle what they see as a debt problem impacting their economies. California relieved $59 million in student debt for doctors in exchange for treating low-income communities. Maryland passed a tax credit to offer student debt relief.

“We are dealing with a student debt crisis that makes inequality worse," noted Eric LeCompte, the director of the religious debt relief group Jubilee USA. "Students are also being exploited by for-profit colleges that offers students high debt loads with too few job opportunities."

New US Federal research shows for-profit colleges are increasing student enrollment while increasing high levels of student debt. The data illustrates that less than 40% of students graduating from for-profit colleges had salaried positions a year from graduation. The federal research noted that public university and nonprofit private school graduates attained salaried positions at higher levels of between 45% and 51% within a year of graduation.