Measuring the Measuring the Benefits of Income- B Based Repayment d R t for Graduate and for Graduate and Professional St d Students t Jason Delisle, Alex Holt, & Kristin Blagg gg New America Foundation
Rationale for Income-Based Rationale for Income Based Repayment • Limits Downside Risk • Certainty of Ability to Repay • How Much Income, and For How Long Matters Long, Matters
History of IBR History of IBR 2007 2007 – Income- B Based d Repayment/ Public P bli Service 2010 – 1992 – Pay As Income- You Contingent Earn R Repayment
Pay As You Earn Pay As You Earn • Why? • Enacted in 2 Months • Usually Monthly Snapshot • But More to the Story
Safety Net or Windfall? Safety Net or Windfall? • Low-Income See Small Reduction • Middle-High Income See High g g Reduction • Graduate Students Stand to See Large Forgiveness Even with High Large Forgiveness Even with High Income • Payments Too Low to Repay
Example Borrowers
Example Borrowers
Examining Graduate Student Examining Graduate Student Benefits • Not Just High-Income High-Debt Not Just High Income High Debt • Modeling Incomes g • Degree-Profession Categories • American Community Survey • NPSAS Debt
List of Professions • S Social Worker i l W k • Nurse • Pharmacist • Lawyer y • Engineer • Accountant Accountant • Veterinarian • • K 12 Teacher K-12 Teacher • Speech Pathologist • Reporter
No Marginal Cost Threshold No Marginal Cost Threshold • • Debt Level When Borrower Will Not Debt Level When Borrower Will Not Incur Incremental Increase in Payment for Borrowing More P t f B i M • Not Focusing on Forgiveness • Focusing on Total Payment
Tables (K-12 Teacher) Tables (K 12 Teacher)
Tables (Engineer) Tables (Engineer)
Tables (Lawyer) Tables (Lawyer)
Tables (Veterinarian) Tables (Veterinarian)
Discussion Discussion • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Public Service Loan Forgiveness… WOW • Not Just Grad PLUS Problem • No Difference for Average vs. High Debt • M Must Borrow to Get Benefits t B t G t B fit • Implications for Scholarships and Aid
Market Response Market Response
How Do We Fix This? How Do We Fix This? • Cap Public Service Loan Forgiveness Cap Public Service Loan Forgiveness ($40,000) • Lengthen Forgiveness Term for High D bt B Debt Borrowers (25 Years) (25 Y ) • Use “Classic” IBR for Middle and Higher-Income Borrowers g
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