Higher Ed, Not Debt

We're working for quality and affordable higher ed—without debt. Join the movement! RTs≠endorsements.

[Protect Borrowers @BorrowerJustice]

🥁ANNOUNCING:🥁The Peoples Rally for Student Debt Cancellation

WHERE: Outside SCOTUS

WHEN: 2/28/23, the day of oral arguments

WHY: To demand SCOTUS follow the letter of the law and uphold the people’s right to relief

Sign up! ➝https://t.co/yvypQf4oXP

#PeopleForCancellation

[The White House 46 Archived @WhiteHouse46]

UPDATE: The Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments to allow for the Supreme Court to rule in the case on the student debt relief program.

The pause will end no later than June 30, 2023. Payments will resume 60 days after the pause ends.

[President Biden Archived @POTUS46Archive]

I'm confident that our student debt relief plan is legal. But it’s on hold because Republican officials want to block it.

That's why @SecCardona is extending the payment pause to no later than June 30, 2023, giving the Supreme Court time to hear the case in its current term.

[Protect Borrowers @BorrowerJustice]

Do you still have questions about the PSLF Waiver? Reminder that TODAY at 6PM ET we'll be sharing answers!!!

Join us: https://t.co/1hR98vZelS

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

ICYMI, read our latest chartbook analyzing how Parent PLUS loans burden low-income households, Black families, & college students in the South with unrepayable debt.

We’d love to continue the conversation on #ParentPLUSDebt.
https://t.co/H1hQ28DqTN

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

A8: Black borrowers & communities have higher debt balances. And because of systemic racism, the racial wage gap, generational poverty & more, are unable to pay off the debt. So Black borrowers have higher default rates & may experience wage garnishment, etc. #ParentPLUSDebt

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

Q8: Parent PLUS loans disproportionately distribute unrepayable debt to low-income households, Black families, & college students in the South.

What are the repercussions of this effectively unequal program design? #ParentPLUSDebt

[The Century Foundation @TCFdotorg]

According to @POTUS’s latest announcement, student loan borrowers who had Pell Grants are eligible for up to $20k in debt forgiveness. But there’s a problem❗The extra $10k of loan forgiveness doesn’t apply to parents whose children received Pell. #ParentPLUSDebt 1/

[Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) @DebtCrisisOrg]

A7: President Biden’s action is a good first step, however, we need an equitable higher ed financing system that does not disproportionately burden low-income households, Black families, & students in the South.
@GCPIEconSec #ParentPLUSDebt

https://t.co/z2E6Z5cGVA

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

A6: To start, Congress can pass #FreeCollege.

This would prevent millions from needing to rely on student loans in order to access #HigherEd.

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

Q6: How can colleges and policymakers make higher education financing more economically and racially equitable for students and parents? #ParentPLUSDebt

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

A5: Private four-year colleges (and especially for-profit institutions) often charge much more in tuition than public colleges. So students and families who are from low-income backgrounds have to take out more #ParentPLUSDebt to make up the difference.

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

Q5: Private four-year colleges distribute #ParentPLUSDebt to many lower-income parents at much higher rates than to higher-income parents.

Why are rates of Parent PLUS use so regressive at private four-year colleges?

[The Century Foundation @TCFdotorg]

Due to systemic racism, Black families face a racial wealth gap compared to white families, & Parent PLUS borrowing only deepens it. Black parents are almost 2x as likely as other parent borrowers to still be in repayment for their own student loans. 1/ #ParentPLUSdebt

[The Century Foundation @TCFdotorg]

And, by the time their children graduate college, 44% of Black PP families borrow a PLUS amount > the typical Black family’s net worth.

For white families, just 0.4% borrow > the typical white family’s net worth. 2/ #ParentPLUSDebt

https://t.co/rNYpp1V8XJ

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

A2: One way is that Parent PLUS loans often have interest rates that are significantly higher than other loans. So borrowers from low-income backgrounds, who can't afford monthly payments, then watch their balances balloon. #ParentPLUSDebt

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

Q2: Parent PLUS burdens parents with low incomes with debt levels that are extremely high in proportion to their earnings.

How does #ParentPLUSDebt create burdens for borrowers with low incomes?

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

A1: Higher Ed, Not Debt is a coalition of dozens of orgs dedicated to tackling the debilitating and ever-growing issue of student loan debt in America. We're fighting to make a quality #HigherEd affordable & accessible to all, without debt or financial hardship. #ParentPLUSDebt

[ESOI | GCPI @GCPIEconSec]

Q1: Who is joining us today for the #ParentPLUSDebt Tweet Chat? Please share who you are, your organization, and a little about the people you represent.

[CAPDisability @CAPDisability]

📢 Disabled college students: we want to hear from you.

Message us to share your experience!

[AFSCME @AFSCME]

Are you a public service worker with outstanding federal student loans? If so, join AFSCME and our partners at @theSBPC for a series of webinars to explain how you might be eligible to have your loans forgiven. https://t.co/qkMiEOc1jr

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

We'll be joining the #ParentPLUSDebt twitter chat on Friday, 9/23 @ 1 pm ET to discuss how Parent PLUS loans regressively burden low-income households, Black families, & college students in the South with unrepayable debt.

[Protect Borrowers @BorrowerJustice]

👏🎉Congress just passed the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act! FINALLY student loan borrowers who've been locked to spouses—even in the case of domestic abuse & divorce—are one step closer to being able to separate their loans and accessing debt relief they've been denied.

[Protect Borrowers @BorrowerJustice]

To see if you need to consolidate/convert your federal student loan type to receive Biden’s cancellation➦ Go to your https://t.co/LsMZEAaDVO dashboard. It should show the types of loans- types other than "Direct" you might have to consolidate!

More info https://t.co/enAL8wNB80

[Higher Ed, Not Debt @HigherEdNotDebt]

"It would take Black women working from the start of 2021 through today to earn as much as non-Hispanic white men made in just 2021."

Black women are disproportionately impacted by #StudentDebt, and the wage gap makes it EVEN HARDER to pay off loans.

https://t.co/Fild0e7QnH