“This view that college pays off and that most people pay off their loans, is narrow and tragically flawed,” Heulsman said in his opening remarks. “This is a crisis of equity, it’s a crisis of opportunity and we’ll argue it’s a crisis for the economy.”
Heulsman’s research shows that student debt has the effect of widening racial inequality; black students typically borrow more to attend school than their white counterparts. Their elevated levels of student debt may make it more difficult for black college graduates to buy homes and save for retirement, which will only perpetuate the racial wealth gap.
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