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Some 81 percent of college students are facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19, according to a survey of about 1,000 students by the loan management website Student Loan Hero. Hardships include job loss, trouble paying bills and food insecurity. Student loan borrowers report having more troubles than their peers without loans. Most respondents want at least partial student loan forgiveness as part of any government response to the crisis.
Black and Hispanic students report more difficulties than their white peers. Thirty-three percent of black students are having trouble paying for food, and 22 percent are struggling with housing expenses. Among Hispanic students, those figures were 36 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Twenty-one percent of white students reported experiencing food insecurity, and 14 percent faced housing issues.
Also worrisome, more than one-third of students are taking on debt make ends meet during the pandemic, according to the survey. Many report anxiety about academics and their chance of finding a job after graduation.
-- Colleen Flaherty