New Report on California Students’ Unpaid Balances
Sara Weissman
March 18, 2022
The Student Borrower Protection Center, an advocacy organization focused on student debt, released a report Thursday that examines the levels of institutional debt accrued by California students during the pandemic.
The center estimates that 373,025 students across California’s public higher education systems incurred about $195 million in debts to their colleges and universities annually since the pandemic began, a total of $390 million from 2020 to 2022. The calculations are based on data from four University of California campuses, three community college districts and the National Association of College and University Business Officers Financial Services Benchmarking survey.
The report details the “lasting negative consequences” these debts can have for low-income students if colleges and universities prevent them from enrolling because of unpaid balances. It also offers recommendations to California policy makers, including appropriating one-time state funds to public colleges and universities in the state to cover institutional debts accrued during the pandemic, ensuring student institutional debts can’t end up in the hands of for-profit debt collectors and ensuring students with unpaid balances can register for courses.
