A Guide for the American Voter

The student debt crisis is a choice. We can choose differently.

$1.7 trillion is owed by tens of millions of Americans. Three practical, affordable reforms — better repayment, tuition-free community college, and stronger grants — would turn that weight into opportunity.

See the Data Take Action

The Problem

The weight we all carry

This is not someone else's problem. When millions of borrowers struggle, the whole economy feels it.

$1.7 trillion

Total U.S. student debt

Federal Reserve data shows outstanding student loans now top $1.7 trillion — larger than the entire U.S. auto-loan and credit-card markets combined.

$37,000+

Average debt per borrower

Education Department figures put the typical borrower on the hook for well over $37,000 — after years of tuition growth far outpacing wages and grants.

43 million

Americans affected

Roughly 43 million people hold federal student debt, spanning every age group and income level — not just recent graduates just starting out.

Why it matters: high monthly payments delay homebuying, small-business startups, and retirement savings. When debt holds back millions of workers, growth slows for everyone. Read the research ↓

The Solutions

Three practical reforms

Each one is proven, paid for, and targeted at the people who need it most.

Expand income-driven repayment & targeted forgiveness

Cap monthly payments at a share of what a borrower actually earns, and cancel debt for those who've repaid for decades or who were defrauded by predatory schools. The Education Department's own data shows most borrowers pursuing Income-Driven Repayment would have had their balances significantly reduced — forgiveness works because it is targeted, not universal.

~95%

of federal student debt is held by borrowers qualifying for IDR plans — a system we could make automatic and simple for everyone.

Make community college tuition-free

Community colleges are the on-ramp to the middle class, but cost remains the barrier that pushes many students to drop out or take on debt. Tuition-free community college is a well-trodden policy used in several states — and studies of promise programs (like the College Promise research from the Community College Research Center) find they raise enrollment and completion without lowering standards.

~$3,800

the average annual tuition and fees at a public two-year college — a hurdle made of real dollars, not laziness or lack of ambition.

Boost need-based Pell Grant funding

For half a century the Pell Grant was the surest route to college for low-income students. But its buying power has eroded badly, even as tuitions climbed. Restoring and expanding the Pell Grant means the students who most need help aren't forced onto the debt treadmill.

≈30%

of a four-year public college's average cost the maximum Pell used to cover — down from near 80% in the 1970s, per higher-ed policy analyses.

Read the Research

The evidence behind the argument

These are primary sources and credible independent analyses. Follow the links to check our numbers yourself.

Data

Federal Reserve — Financial Accounts of the United States

Official quarterly data on total student-loan balances (the source for the $1.7 trillion figure).

Data

U.S. Dept. of Education — Federal Student Aid Portfolio

Borrower counts and average balances straight from the federal loan program.

Research

Pew Research Center — Education

Public-opinion and demographic research on who carries student debt and how it shapes daily life.

Analysis

Brookings Institution — Education Policy

Independent policy analyses of income-driven repayment, forgiveness, and system-wide affordability.

Research

Community College Research Center

The leading research body on free-college ("promise") programs and their measured effects.

Analysis

Urban Institute — Postsecondary Education

Data-driven work on the Pell Grant and college affordability across income groups.

Take Action

What you can do today

You don't have to work in Washington to move the conversation. Real change follows voters who show up.

Call your representatives

One short, polite call to your House member and Senators carries more weight than most people think. Ask them where they stand on student debt relief and Pell funding.

Find your rep

Register to vote

Every major debt-relief policy runs through the ballot box. If you're not registered, a two-minute form is the single most powerful tool you have.

Support reform organizations

Nonprofits working on affordability and borrower advocacy turn public pressure into policy. Even a small monthly gift keeps that work going.

Explore an advocacy org