Opinion

The Student Loan Reckoning Has Arrived

Pandemic forbearance and reporting “on-ramps” masked mounting strain, but loans are now coming due, and serious delinquencies are rising.
The Student Loan Reckoning Has Arrived
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Jeffery L. Degner
|Updated:
Commentary

Millions of Americans are channeling the classic Eagles tune “Hotel California” in their experience with student loan debt: “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

Jeffery L. Degner
Jeffery L. Degner
Author
Jeffery L. Degner is a research fellow in Economics and Economic Freedom, joining the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) in 2026. His Ph.D. in Economic Science was obtained from l’Universite d’Angers, and his M.A. in Applied Economics was earned at Western Michigan University, where he also earned a dual major in Economics and History for secondary education. His doctoral dissertation on the family within the inflation culture led to the publishing of “Inflation and the Family” with Palgrave MacMillan in 2025. Before joining AIER he served in various roles and most recently as the Dean of the School of Business and as an associate professor of Economics at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prior his 8 year tenure at Cornerstone, he spent over a decade teaching Economics and History at the high school level.