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Education Finance
Working Paper
WP 25-38 – Using anonymized consumer credit bureau data, the author examines the credit market consequences of student loan delinquency and default and the role that student loan servicers play in contributing to borrower outcomes.
Education Finance
Working Paper
WP 25-13 – We study the long-term effect of the Great Recession on federal student loan borrowing and repayment. Using detailed longitudinal data on federal student loan borrowers, we compare labor markets that faced varying degrees of unemployment severity during the economic downturn.
Education Finance
Working Paper
WP 24-20 – The authors of this study develop a model that predicts the probability of financial distress or closure for colleges and universities more accurately than existing accountability metrics, even when data are missing.
Education Finance
Article
We document changes in the rate at which borrowers repay their student loans by calculating a borrower-level loan paydown rate — the percentage change in outstanding debt relative to debt at repayment entry.
Education Finance
Article
CFI in Focus – Over 40 million Americans currently hold student loans, with an average balance of nearly $40,000 per borrower. As loan balances rise — and particularly during difficult economic times — there is increasing worry about student borrowers’ ability to make payments.
Education Finance
Working Paper
WP 24-08/R – Rising student loan debt and concerns over unaffordable payments provide rationale for “income-driven repayment” (IDR) plans, which aim to protect borrowers from default and resulting financial consequences by linking payments to income.
Education Finance
Working Paper
WP 24-16 – The rising cost of college and graduate school is often cited as a cause of rising student loan borrowing. This paper analyzes long-term trends in tuition and student financing using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.
Education Finance
Article
CFI in Focus – After three and a half years of paused payments on federal student loans, payments restarted in October 2023. Many borrowers experienced significant adjustments to their required debt payments, not only because of the payments resumption but also because of changes to repayment plans and the strained servicing environment.
Education Finance
Article
In the Consumer Finance Institute, Dubravka Ritter studies how students and governments pay for postsecondary education and how this sector affects the U.S. economy. In this Q&A, Dubravka shares some of her key findings and future research interests.
This report is part of a quarterly series that summarizes key observations from the LIFE Survey. In each report, we share data relating to employment status and concerns about working, income expectations, recent financial health and stability, and concerns about the future and personal outlook.
The new LIFE Survey from the Consumer Finance Institute provides timely insights into how consumers’ financial lives are changing in response to the current economy. Learn more in this Q&A with CFI Senior Advisor and Research Fellow Tom Akana.
This report is the first in a quarterly series on key observations from the Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey. Data from the survey provide insight into consumers’ recent financial lives and their future expectations.
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