Title: Crushed by debt?
Headings: Crushed by debt?
Feature
Crushed by debt?
Racking up debt
Competing for support
Finding solutions
Further resources
Need money?
Video
Letters to the Editor

Content: A study by El-Ghoroury and colleagues published in Training and Education in Professional Psychology ® last year found that debt and other financial issues were No. 2 on the list of both student stressors and barriers to self-care, just after academic responsibilities or pressures. But student debt doesn't just hurt students, says El-Ghoroury. It also hurts psychology as a whole, he says. "Psychology is enriched by having students from all types of backgrounds," says El-Ghoroury. " It would be a real loss if graduate study became too unaffordable for some students." That's already happening, says Avellar, who believes departments should limit the number of students they admit to those they can support and seek creative solutions such as private donations from community members. Graduate education is becoming a luxury item, says Avellar. He points to the federal government's 2012 decision to eliminate graduate students' eligibility for subsidized student loans, a decision that will hit low-income students the hardest. The result, he says, will be that graduate school becomes the domain of students who already have the most advantages, such as wealthy parents. "