"Unveiling the Root Causes: How Graduate Schools Contribute to the Student Debt Crisis"

New research reveals that many graduate programs in the United States leave students with more debt than they initially borrowed, with incomes insufficient to pay off the balance. Approximately one-third of the institutions studied show their former graduate students owing more on their loans than the amount they initially borrowed, even five years after entering repayment. Graduate programs at for-profit colleges or private nonprofits that used to operate as for-profits, such as Walden University and University of Phoenix, produce borrowers who owe more than $100 million in interest after five years. The high interest rates on graduate student loans contribute to the debt burden, and without sufficient checks and balances, this cycle of unmanageable debt is likely to continue.