“We’ve already had a lot of states use student debt relief as a carrot to entering certain professions,” said Mark Huelsman, a senior policy analyst at Demos, a left-leaning think tank. “Now that most professions have student debtors in them you’re going to see broad-based relief plans,” like New York’s, he said.
New York’s is it’s linked specifically to income, so anyone making a relatively low salary — whether it’s an artist working out of a loft space in Bushwick or a nonprofit researcher toiling away in midtown — qualifies. The debt relief isn’t all altruistic; it’s an aim to help college graduates cope with entry-level salaries in a state with a high cost of living, in hopes they’ll stick around until they’re making more money and can contribute to the region’s economy and community.
