Graduate School Debt: Ideas for Reducing the $37 Billion in Annual Student Loans That No One Is Talking About

The sustained rise in graduate debt also has substantial equity implications, particularly for Black students. Black students are more likely to borrow in graduate school and have more undergraduate debt than their white peers. This report lays out bold ideas to tackle student debt from graduate studies for programs that range from one-year certificates to doctoral degrees that can take close to a decade to earn. These ideas include enacting price caps, judging programs on a debt-to-earnings rate, and tackling specific credentials by eliminating a year of law school or ensuring that credentials required for teaching or social work are affordable based on what graduates will make.