Parent PLUS or Minus: Promoting Access or Putting Parents at Risk?

Parent PLUS loans can be a helpful tool for families, particularly affluent families with the resources to repay, but for low-income families these loans can have serious implications for financial security. This panel will explore research from New America, Trellis Company, and American Student Assistance, which reveals that federal loan policies are driving an intergenerational accumulation of debt that burden the neediest families. Hear what interviewed students and parents have to say about PLUS and how it affects their finances during repayment, explore the role financial aid administrators can play in communicating PLUS, and how federal policymakers can reform the program.