Student Loan Debt Is Draining Southern Families Across Generations

Student loan debt doesn’t end with a monthly payment. Its effects can shape whether families can build wealth, weather financial emergencies, buy homes, and pass greater economic security from one generation to the next.

In a new guest column published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MDC’s Harrison Dale, Jenna Bryant, Sabrina McGee, and Phillip Sheldon examine how those consequences are playing out across the South.

“How Student Debt Is Draining Families in the South Across Generations” explores the connection between student loan debt and the racial wealth gap, including the greater debt burdens carried by Black borrowers and the challenges facing workers in professions that require significant education but often offer lower wages. The authors also examine policy options available to states, including stronger borrower protections and student loan ombudsman programs.

The column is the third in a series of MDC op-eds examining student loan debt through the lens of economic mobility and opportunity across the South. Together, the series builds on MDC’s broader work through the Student Debt Relief Coalition to frame student loan debt as more than an individual financial challenge; it affects families, workplaces, communities, and regional economic mobility.

The conversation began with MDC’s North Carolina policy priorities, which identify practical state and employer strategies to better protect borrowers and reduce the economic burden of student loan debt. Through this series, MDC is expanding that conversation across the South and examining how those challenges—and potential solutions—show up in different states.

Read “How Student Debt Is Draining Families in the South Across Generations” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Explore MDC’s Student Debt policy priorities and resources.

Topics: Economic Security & Mobility, Education, equity, MDC News, Policy & Systems Change