Nearly 1 in 6 adults in the U.S. has outstanding student loan debt. Among those between the ages of 18 and 29, 1 in 3 reported having student loan debt. Meanwhile, the share of new entrepreneurs aged 20-34 declined from 34% to 27% between 1996 and 2019. The relationship between student loan debt and entrepreneurship sits at the intersection of…

With the cost of student debt surpassing credit card debt, those students who default on their student loans are not only affected but the colleges and universities they attended are affected as well. The purpose of this study is to compare default rates before and after the amendment to the Higher Education Act of 2008. This study will identify…

While the completion of a baccalaureate degree is the gateway to a greater quality of life in areas of employment, health, housing, civic engagement, mortality, and economic wealth, the college experience for Black American students is typically coupled with the accumulation of a disproportionately high amount of student loan debt. While the most…

This dissertation consists of two chapters, both of which study the wealth inequality using heterogenous agent general equilibrium model. In particular, the first chapter focuses on a government policy and its implications on wealth inequality. The second chapter incorporates cost to high return assets to generate realistic wealth mobility in the…

While the tuition fee system has had a large amount of political and media attention in the last two decades, far less attention has been paid to the student maintenance system -- the amount of funding students have access to for day to day living expenses. But for many students, this funding is of more immediate importance, and can have a major…

President Biden's recent announcement regarding student debt relief has brought the issue to center stage across Pennsylvania and the U.S. Access to quality higher education is so important to Pennsylvania's individuals and families, yet the high cost of college in the state has both limited who has access to a good education and, for those…

Queer people continue to feel the effects of queer oppression in higher education and beyond, including unique financial challenges. The price of being queer is troubling in a world ordered around capitalism and heteronormative privilege. The purpose of this paper is to examine the financial landscape for queer students and call for a robust…

The national conversation on student loan debt has led to questioning the value of American higher education. Students are relying on federal and private student loan products to pay for the cost of attendance at American higher education institutions. To address this challenge, many institutions have launched no-loan initiatives. One such…

For 25 years, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has surveyed financial aid professionals to understand the environment in which they administer student aid. These surveys identify resource shortages that may hinder the delivery of financial aid services, explore the causes of these shortages, and assess the…

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' (NASFAA) National Student Aid Profile is an annual publication designed to give a high-level overview of the federal student financial aid programs that provide funding to millions of students each year. This report presents an overview of: (1) The Federal Pell Grant Program; (2)…

West Virginia's three state-funded medical schools enroll more medical students per capita than any other state in the country. Due to the large number of medical student seats, most qualified West Virginians have the opportunity to complete their medical education in the state. In the academic year of 2024-2025, 38 percent (157) of the 418…

This paper asks whether Bourdieu's notion of symbolic violence is a helpful lens through which to view student loan systems. Symbolic violence occurs when two unequal agents unconsciously conspire in the oppression of the less empowered agent, thus reinforcing and legitimating existing stratifications. Using England as a case study, we draw on…

Student debt has been a crisis for years, and the pandemic has only exacerbated matters for many borrowers. This is especially true for Black borrowers, who are among those most negatively affected by student loans -- due, in large part, to systemic racism, the inequitable distribution of wealth in this country, a stratified labor market, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid and substantial increase in unemployment and to uncertainty about future job prospects. Despite this increased uncertainty, parents' expectations that their children will pursue postsecondary studies remained high during the lockdown--91.7% of children whose parents were surveyed in May or June 2020 were…

When it comes to social mobility, the goalposts are always moving. As access to any given level of education becomes more common, inequalities tend to move upwards, with those from better-off backgrounds seeking to keep their advantages. While access to undergraduate degrees has been improving, with more and more young people going onto…