Presidential Leadership

United States President Barack Obama has taken a strong stance on providing support for Americans of all ages to receive a college education, without towing the large burden of student loan debt following graduation day. According to www.WhiteHouse.gov:

“The President has proposed incentives for states to maintain their commitments to higher education through a new $1 billion investment. The Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion challenge aims to increase the number of college graduates and contain the cost of tuition by rewarding states that are willing to systematically change their higher education policies and practices.”

President Obama has also initiated a “Pay As You Earn” program, which expands income-based repayment for many more college students:

“We're offering millions the opportunity to cap their monthly student loan payments to 10 percent of their income, and I want to work with Congress to see how we can help even more Americans who feel trapped by student loan debt.”

--Barack Obama, January 2014, State of the Union Address

The President has even worked to ensure that college loan payments are “forgiven” after 20 years of paying, or by providing 10 years of public service to the government. Obama continues to provide leadership and pioneering into helping a new, larger generation of college graduates succeed with as little debt as possible.