(CNN) During Morehouse College's commencement exercises, billionaire Robert F. Smith changed the course of 396 students' lives in the span of a few seconds. His promise to pay off the entire student debt burden of the Class of 2019 sparked a wave of admiration and gratitude, as well as questions about what such a generous gift means in the age of mounting student loan debt. Typically, big-ticket donors focus their efforts on scholarships to help students at their chosen college and universities. But given the severity of the student debt crisis in the US, could debt repayment be the next trend among the Robert F. Smiths of the world? "If they want to support higher education, that means they want to help, and that typically means helping students."

Source: CNN May 20, 2019 20:59 UTC