Loan Cancellation or Pension Bailout? A Conundrum for the Pundits

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist In August 2022, the Biden Administration dropped a student loan cancellation program on the country. At a cost of over $400 million, the program was to cancel $10,000 of student loan debt from anyone with an income of under $125,000/year ($250k if married filing jointly). Another $10,000 for those who received a Pell Grant, which is … Continue reading Loan Cancellation or Pension Bailout? A Conundrum for the Pundits

Background Data on Student Debt in America

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Since I wrote my piece on the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Reduction Plan last week, there has been a lot of information and fallout by colleagues and friends on the issue. Most people I know are on the positive side of the policy, saying that this is helpful for a lot of people who are … Continue reading Background Data on Student Debt in America

The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Earlier today, the Biden Administration unleashed the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan (SLDRP?), a new series of policies aimed at reducing student loan burden for millions of current and past students across the country. My organization and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of others around the country have been diligently advocating for improvements to college access … Continue reading The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

Equating an Education with the Cost of an Automobile

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Today’s InsideHigherEd.com article, “Promoting Financial Transparency for Students,” focused on new legislation in Congress to make the cost of higher education more transparent and simpler to understand. The article quoted Laura Keane of uAspire, a non-profit, saying that “When you buy a car, you walk up to a car and you see a window sticker that … Continue reading Equating an Education with the Cost of an Automobile

Vote NO for Eliminating All Student Debt

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute So, let me get this right. I’ve ardently been against rescuing the college-going public against any government intervention to completely eliminate student debt. You can read my diatribes against Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in several Swail Letters (see at end of piece). Now, apparently, Joe Biden, who is a capable leader with a … Continue reading Vote NO for Eliminating All Student Debt