Date of Award

Summer 8-24-2024

Document Type

Dissertation in Practice

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education, Higher Education

First Advisor

Mike Hoa Nguyen

Second Advisor

D-L Stewart

Third Advisor

Sarah Hurtado

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Black feminist theory, Black women, Federal student aid, Federal student loans, Income driven repayment, Public service loan forgiveness (PSLF)

Abstract

Black women who attend college in the United States are more likely to borrow to cover the cost of attendance and carry the largest amount of student loan debt than any other racial and gender group. Federal student loan borrowers are encouraged to work in public service to take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), an income-driven repayment program established by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) of 2007. PSLF offers total debt relief after ten years of uninterrupted full monthly payments based on an income-driven repayment plan. The significance of this qualitative study will provide insight to policy makers on the ways the CCRAA hurts Black women who experience racial and gender-based oppression in the workforce, housing, and financial institutions. Through a Black Feminist lens, the study aims to answer the following questions in semi-structured interviews: What are the experiences of Black women who participate in the PSLF program; what are the post graduate financial practices of Black women who participate in PSLF; and how has participation in PSLF impacted Black women’s career choices? Research participants are Black women who participated in the PSLF program and who earned at least a bachelor’s degree after October 2007, the date of participation eligibility for PSLF as established by the CCRAA. Study implications may give policy makers insight on the impact of repayment programs on marginalized borrowers and identify recommendations on providing emancipatory debt relief for everyone.

Copyright Date

8-2024

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Ashley Patrice-Rose Sherman

Provenance

Received from Author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

133 pgs

File Size

1.3 MB



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