Kentuckians collectively owe more than $20 million in student loan debt, and a new informal survey sheds light on how hefty student-loan payments affect the lives of borrowers in the Commonwealth.

Research from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy found nearly one in five residents owe student debt, including 20,000 people at or near retirement age.

Ashley Spalding, research director at the Center, said the situation is preventing many individuals from purchasing a home, starting a business, or accessing health care.

"Wages aren't going up that much, and the cost of college is skyrocketing, and interest rates have been high on these loans," Spalding explained.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates within the past year it has canceled more than $17 billion in debt for more than 700,000 borrowers. The Biden administration's pause on student-loan repayment is set to expire August 31. Experts said it remains unclear whether the pause will be extended into the fall.

Celine Mutuyemaria, a Louisville resident, said she currently has more than $100,000 in student loan debt, and said her financial situation is affecting her mental health.

"It affects me in a number of ways," Mutuyemaria pointed out. "I actually have a lot of anxiety about if and when student loan repayments are going to restart."

She added her student loans negatively affect her credit score, which is a barrier to her dream of owning a home.

"I think that homeownership feels really out of sight for me right now because of the burden of my student loans," Mutuyemaria lamented.

The White House also recently announced it would cancel the student loans of all former Corinthian Colleges students, after investigations revealed the for-profit colleges defrauded students, the most significant loan discharge by the federal government to date.

The nonprofit group Alabama Possible has received a U.S. Department of Education grant to help increase FAFSA completion rates among students in the state.

Currently, fewer than half of Alabama's graduating seniors have filled out the Free Application for Financial Student Aid. Delays and glitches in the government's rollout of a new FAFSA system are largely to blame.

Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible, said the state has experienced one of the largest year-over-year declines in FAFSA completion, which makes summer support urgent.

"Who's going to stand in the gap in answering the calls of these students? They have gone through enough," Scott asserted. "The last thing they need to be faced with is, 'I don't know who to call. I don't know who can help guide me through this process.' And we want to remove that."

The most recent data from the National College Attainment Network show only about 47% of high school seniors nationwide have completed the FAFSA form.

Scott pointed out the grant has enabled her organization to enhance its call center and add more staff to assist families. She emphasized the assistance will be available via phone, chat and on Zoom, to help ensure support reaches every corner of the state.

"And they really, literally, will walk alongside with them on those applications, question by question, to make sure that they get it done and they are confident about the process," Scott explained. "They even follow up to make sure that, you know, those emails they were supposed to receive, to make sure they receive them."

As some colleges in Pennsylvania and nationwide close their doors, one school in Erie has taken a big step toward making higher education more accessible and affordable.

Erie County Community College meets a need by serving an underserved county.

Chris Gray, president of the college, said the challenges of poverty and economic decline in the local area are being tackled in part, by creating a foundation to provide help to students with short-term, unexpected expenses, so they can stay in school and work toward their degrees and certificates.

"We call it an emergency fund," Gray explained. "It gives us a pot of money that allows us to step in and say, 'Hey, you've got this medical bill, you had to have a tooth pulled or whatever, it's 150 bucks.' Whether it's $50, $500 or $5,000, it's so out of reach for so many people that live in poverty. This allows us, through the generosity of our donors, to one time step in with that student and say, 'We're going to help you.'"

According to the school's website, the college offers affordable associate's degrees and technical certificate programs for jobs in fields with no requirement of a bachelor's degree.

Unlike many colleges, where enrollment is down, Gray noted their numbers have skyrocketed since opening in 2021. He pointed out they have had almost 600 students and are projecting enrollment of 700 to 800 this fall. He added some community funding has allowed some students to go to school at no cost.

"Through the generosity of the county government, we were able to waive tuition for the first two years," Gray noted. "And then, through the generosity of a private donor, the Susan B. Hagen Fund, we've been able to waive tuition for students. And it has had unbelievable results."

Gray pointed out along with the emergency fund, the college also offers scholarships, both recurring and one-time. He added in memory of his mother, they recently created an academic scholarship.

"That's a larger donation," Gray emphasized. "What we'll do off that is we'll basically use the interest, and every year with that donation, we'll be able to give out $1,000 to a student, for every year, for eternity."

Gray added the school is getting ready to do a major health care renovation, through a partnership between the county government and three hospital systems, which have committed more than $5 million to support the initiative.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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With just over a month before Indiana university students return, a new law affecting college professor tenures is in full effect.

The law targets public universities, mandating diversity committees to review faculty, administration, and policies on "cultural and intellectual diversity."

Professors must undergo reviews every five years. Trustees are required to accept complaints if professors fail to meet criteria related to free inquiry, expression, and intellectual diversity, though specifics are not detailed.

Ball State University student Michaela Ayeh said the law promotes bigotry.

"This is a prime example of Board of Trustee and government overreach, restriction of academic freedom and censorship," said Ayeh. "This bill is exemplary of the racism, homophobia, sexism, classes of ableism and other bigoted ideologies that bigots harbor."

Proponents say the law gives the board the ability to determine whether faculty are eligible for tenure or promotion depending on their performance in promoting intellectual diversity every five years.

State Sen. Spencer Deery - R-West Lafayette - helped author the bill. He argued it addresses concerns of ideological bias in universities.

"Pew Research Foundation actually researched this of why do you lack trust in our institutions of higher education," said Deery. "The number one issue for Republican respondents was professors pushing political views irrelevant to the classroom."

Some scholars are concerned with how their speech will be restricted because their positions are now on the line.

Some of the pushback claims the law encourages conformity, and may discourage professors from engaging in topics that run the risk of violating what they deem is vague criteria.




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