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Iowa Ideas: The Steep Cost of Higher Education

Aaron Hawkins
/
Flickr

The average student graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2016 graduated with more than $37,000 in student loan debt, and according to the personal finance website, Make Lemonade, there are more than 44 million borrowers with $1.3 trillion in student loan debt in the United States.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe hosts a conversation on the impact of student debt facing today’s students and graduates, as well as some unique ideas for making college more affordable in the future. She talks with a mom who is worried about paying for her daughter’s school, a recent college graduate, Elizabeth Sedrel from Iowa College Aid; Liang Wee of Northeast Iowa Community College; and Christopher Morphew of the University of Iowa.

Today’s show is a continuation of a series of conversations about big ideas, in partnership with the Cedar Rapids Gazette.  

The Gazette is hosting a non-partisan statewide learning experience in conjunction with the launch of their new magazine called “Iowa Ideas.” They are holding events around the state, culminating in a two-day conference in Cedar Rapids in September. On Tuesday, March 6, they’ll be at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City to focus on the topic of higher education.

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa