New data showed many New York students are leaving college without a degree.
The analysis of 2017 and 2018 data found students with low-income backgrounds are either taking more time to complete degrees or dropping out before graduating. It has only fueled the student debt crisis, as reports show borrowers in New York owe more than $96 billion in student loans.
Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, executive director of Ed Trust-New York, said the debt is not easily paid off.
“The thing that can best help you pay off your debt is getting a high-paying job after you complete college,” Benjamin-Gomez pointed out. “But if students are paying a lot, getting into debt, and then not able to earn the higher wages because they (don’t) have a college degree, that creates a problem for those students.”
A degree does not guarantee student debt will be paid off. A 2024 Community Service Society of New York report found a quarter of New York City residents struggle with repaying student loan debt due to underemployment or jobs not paying enough.
One reason people don’t graduate from college is they are not properly prepared for it while they are in high school. Benjamin-Gomez stressed it is more concerning as the state plans to phase out Regents exams.
“Without a statewide criteria that’s objective that can be used across the state to say that a student from this high school is as prepared as a student from another high school to be successful in college, we’re losing an important measure,” Benjamin-Gomez contended.
Another reason people do not graduate or drop out is the challenge of affording college. New York State’s 2027 budget proposal would attempt to tackle the issue by continuing funding for the free community college program and a tuition freeze for resident undergraduate students at SUNY and CUNY schools.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.