student loans

Policy writing on student loan issues.

2023

  • “The Department of Education doesn’t know what its new income-driven plan for student loans will cost or who will benefit.” March 6, 2023. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Comment on the Department of Education’s proposed regulations governing income-driven repayment (IDR) plans for student loans.” March 6, 2023. (link)

2022

  • “Does Biden’s student debt forgiveness achieve his stated goals?” September 26, 2022. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Biden’s Income-Driven Repayment plan would turn student loans into untargeted grants.” September 15, 2022. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Biden can and should target student-loan debt forgiveness.” May 31, 2022. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Student loan forgiveness is regressive whether measured by income, education, or wealth.” January 14, 2022. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Responses to reader questions about my report ‘Student loan forgiveness is regressive.’“ January 31, 2022. The Brookings Institution. (link)

2021

  • “Biden is right: A lot of students at elite schools have student debt.” March 3, 2021. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Putting student loan forgiveness in perspective: How costly is it and who benefits?” February 12, 2021. The Brookings Institution. (link)

2020

  • “Biden shouldn’t listen to Schumer and Warren on student loans.” November 18, 2020. The Washington Post. (link)

  • “Dept. of Education’s College Scorecard shows where student loans pay off… and where they don’t.” November 10, 2020. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Who owes the most in student loans: New data from the Fed.” (with Sandy Baum.) October 9, 2020. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Who owes all that student debt? And who’d benefit if it were forgiven?” (with David Wessel and Kadija Yilla.) January 2020. The Brookings Institution. (link)

2018

  • “Parents are borrowing more and more to send their kids to college–and many are struggling to repay.” (with Vivien Lee.) November 2018. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Headwinds for graduate student borrowers: Rising balances and slowing repayment rates.” (with Vivien Lee.) October 2018. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Why the dentist with $1 million in student debt spells trouble for federal loan programs.” May 30, 2018. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “More students are taking on crippling debt they can’t repay–it’s time for higher education to share the risks.” February 2018. Comment to Senate HELP Committee. (link)

2017

  • “The student loan crisis: A look at the data.” August 2017. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Understanding the sources of default and delinquency among student loan borrowers.” August 2017. The Brookings Institution. (link)

  • “Gainful Employment regulations will protect students and taxpayers. Don’t change them.” (with Stephanie Riegg Cellini, David Deming, and Jordan Matsudaira.) August 2017. Comment to Department of Education. (link)

2011

  • “Where is the Best Place to Invest $102,000 – In Stocks, Bonds, or a College Degree?” (with Michael Greenstone.) 2011. The Hamilton Project. (link)

  • “College: Expensive, But Still a Smart Choice.” (with Michael Greenstone.) August 15, 2011. Los Angeles Times. (link)