Abstract: The federal student loan program is a disaster. Over five million people are in default even though Congress provides all borrowers with the right to affordable payments and to discharge of borrowers’ debts in specific circumstances. Many student loan borrowers who could benefit from these rights are unaware they exist or are unable to exercise their rights.
The Debtor, a nurse practitioner, had total unsecured debt in the amount of $370,574.97, of which ~$320,000 was for student loans, consisting of ~$27,000 of Parent Plus Loans and $289,000 of her own student loans. These student loans were incurred while obtaining her degrees and certifications as a nurse practitioner.
This paper finds that graduates from universities that remove student loans from their financial aid policies are more likely to start entrepreneurial ventures and are more likely to subsequently get venture capital (VC) backing, particularly by reputed VCs, and get higher VC investment. Such ventures have higher sales and employment five years after founding. These results are stronger for universities with higher tuition and greater extent of R&D activity.
