A Toolkit for Affiliates
More than 45 million student loan borrowers owe student debt, a result of decades of disinvestment in public higher education that has shifted costs onto students and their families while leaving colleges and universities underfunded.
Collectively, student debt is over $1.5 trillion, and this debt surpasses all types of household debt other than mortgages. Unlike holders of other types of consumer debt, who have experienced lower levels of delinquency and default since the Great Recession, student loan borrowers remain in distress.
This is why the AFT has launched a student debt clinic program to help our members. But we know that helping each other manage student debt is not enough; we need to join together and fight to change the terms of the debate about student debt.
Talking points & resources
- Use these talking points when speaking with members and the press.
- The AFT conducted a survey of our members in order to better understand their challenges with student debt.
- Read Randi Weingarten’s New York Times op ed.
Social media
Take action
- AFT members have filed a class-action lawsuit against the loan servicer Navient for loan fraud.
- More on student debt on AFT.org