Since 2006, student debt in the United States has nearly tripled. Today, 44 million Americans carry more than $1.4 trillion in student debt. With college costs on the rise, students struggle to pay off loans, and some cannot afford to finish their degrees.

Indiana University senior Brayton Smith appreciates having a family who can help fund his education, but he has not been able to avoid taking out loans. Expressing his frustration with the system, Smith said, “A lot of people don’t have that certain advantage, and I’m struggling the way I’m struggling. If someone like that can’t get out, how do you expect people with other extenuating circumstances to get out? They can’t.”

A. Wayne Johnson, a senior student-loan official in the Trump administration, recently resigned, calling the system “fundamentally broken.” Some groups, like undocumented students and racial minorities, are affected more than others.

Evelyn Sanchez, a sophomore at IU, shared her financial hurdles as a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

“I was thinking graduate school, but just financially, I don’t believe it’s going to happen.”

Aside from working two jobs, Sanchez also received a scholarship. However, she later lost some of it due to her undocumented status. She said, “That’s the only way I was even able to be here– through scholarships. Thankfully to Latino communities… they understand and help out.”

Former IU student Brooklynn Glover found herself in a similar situation. Throughout her college career, Glover’s mental health declined. She used the two free appointments with Counseling and Psychological Services’ that IU allots to students each semester, but she did not have the financial resources to get further medical support. So, her grades slipped, leaving her on academic probation and without the scholarship that largely enabled her college career.

Glover explained, “Because I got a C- in the class instead of an A, I couldn’t raise my GPA from a 1.9 to a 2.0. Therefore, I fell back on academic probation, was dismissed from… the College of Arts and Sciences…” She tried to take out loans, but because she had several thousand dollars in outstanding student debt, she could not borrow any more.

“I was not able to start the semester because I owed the money from the summer, and… because I lost my scholarship, I didn’t have any money to go to school.”

She would have graduated from IU in May 2020. Disappointed, Glover said, “I did really well, honestly. I showed up every day. I was never late– always early. I put forth 100% effort.”

She hopes to finish her degree, but for now, she works to pay the bills.

Some finance experts recommend student loan forgiveness as a solution that could fuel the economy, suggesting consumers would be able to spend more if they did not have outstanding debt.

Although like many people, Glover believes “education should be free.”