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Student Loan Research Reports

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Student Loans Main Page

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Tips: Before Enrolling in School

Tips: Before Taking Out Loans

Tips: Once You Have Loans

Student Loan Research Reports

Student Loan Testimony

In the News

In-Person Help

Other Resources


Student Loan Research Reports

The below research reports were developed to provide policymakers and community leaders with the information needed for effective, targeted interventions to ease the burden for New Yorkers struggling with student debt.

Weighed Down: New Yorkers Share How Student Loan Debt Is Affecting Their Lives

DCWP, Columbia Population Research Center (CPRC), and the Center on Poverty and Social Policy (CPSP) released a report that examines who in New York City holds debt, for whom this debt was taken out for, how much they owe, how they are managing their debt, and how their debt affects major life choices, confidence about repayment, and evaluation of their educational decisions.
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Upwardly Immobile: Low-Income Borrowers and the High Cost of College Education

DCWP released the third in its series of reports on vulnerable student loan borrowers. When compared to higher-income peers, student borrowers from low-income families: are less likely to complete their degree or certificates, earn less, often borrow more and repay their loans at lower rates.
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Unequal Burden: Black Borrowers and the Student Loan Debt Crisis

On August 5, 2020, OFE released Unequal Burden: Black Borrowers and the Student Loan Debt Crisis, a report that explores inequities in borrowing and the connections to the racial wealth gap, school quality and outcomes, and difficulty repaying. Higher education is glorified as a pathway to equal opportunity but often contributes to racial and generational wealth gaps. This is the second in a series of three reports about communities who are most vulnerable to student loan debt and/or are vulnerable to predatory targeting by for-profit schools.
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Ill-Served: Why NYC Veterans Should Use extra Caution When Choosing a For-Profit School

On March 10, 2020, OFE released Ill-Served: Why NYC Veterans Should Use extra Caution When Choosing a For-Profit School, a report that explores the historical relationship between veterans and for-profit institutions, how well for-profit schools serve veterans, and if for-profit schools are a sound investment for veterans looking to pursue higher education. This is the first in what will be a series of reports about communities who are most vulnerable to student loan debt and/or are vulnerable to predatory targeting by for-profit schools.
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Student Loan Debt Distress Across NYC Neighborhoods: Public Hearing and Policy Proposals

On June 20, 2018, DCA Commissioner Lorelei Salas chaired Speak Up, Speak Out: A Public Hearing about Student Loan Debt in NYC. At the hearing, legal service providers, experts in the higher education field, advocates for students and veterans, and members of the public came together to share their experiences with student loan debt. The panelists and attendees also shed light on some of the barriers to successful loan repayment. In this latest report we outline the scale of the student loan debt problem; highlight findings from our previous student loan reports; summarize testimony from the hearing; and offer policy recommendations.
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Student Loan Debt Distress Across NYC Neighborhoods: Identifying Indicators of Vulnerability

In November 2018, OFE announced the findings of their second student loan report which was a follow-up to the previous research report, Student Loan Borrowing Across NYC Neighborhoods, a collaboration between OFE and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The report identifies and examines seven factors that are associated with student loan default among New Yorkers, while also highlighting trends across New York City neighborhoods. The seven factors that increase vulnerability to student loan default include: non-completion, part-time attendance, attendance at a for-profit institution, independent student status, low income, and being black or Hispanic.
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Student Loan Borrowing Across NYC Neighborhoods

In December 2017, OFE and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released the Student Loan Borrowing Across NYC Neighborhoods, the first neighborhood-level examination of student loan outcomes. The report found that although New Yorkers’ delinquency and default rates are slightly lower than the national average, certain NYC neighborhoods are experiencing significantly higher rates of delinquency and default despite the fact that their residents have low average loan balances. These higher levels of student debt delinquency and default also tended to be among older borrowers and those in lower- income neighborhoods.
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DCWP hosted a series of student loan debt clinics during the first half of 2019. Check out the full overview and findings.