On Sunday, Robert F. Smith, a billionaire investor, shocked and delighted the 396 graduates of Morehouse College when he pledged to repay their student loans. The gift, which was praised for its potential to transform the life of each recipient, is also focusing attention on a systemic problem that one donor’s generosity cannot solve: the large student debt burdens shouldered by tens of millions of Americans. Here are some answers to your questions about student debt, and a look at how the issue is increasingly a topic of debate in national politics. How many college students hold student loan debt? About two-thirds of seniors at four-year colleges hold student loan debt — an average of $28,650 per person in 2017, according to an analysis of federal data from the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit that advocates affordable higher education.

Source: New York Times May 20, 2019 19:29 UTC