Civil rights work to address racial disparities in our higher education and student lending system is at the core of Student Defense’s mission.
Black bachelor’s degree graduates are more likely to default than white borrowers who never finish a degree. Latino students are more likely to drop out of school because of the high price of education. Women—and particularly Black women—are more likely to take on student loan debt, face a wage gap in the workforce, and struggle with repayment.Much of our work has a particular focus on addressing abuses at for-profit institutions that report poor student outcomes, such as earnings, and often target and enroll women and people of color.
Student Defense works to support policies aimed at creating a more fair and effective system of protections and oversight to promote equity in higher education.