91Ó°¿â

On June 20, the 91Ó°¿â and Molecular Biology submitted public hearing testimony to the Department of Education expressing concerns about the growing burden of student loan debt. The society called for expanding debt-relief programs across all educational levels and allowing postdoctoral researchers to defer loan payments until after completion of their training.

“We are in the midst of a student debt crisis, and it's hurting the research enterprise and more importantly, the next generation of scientists,” Sarina Neote, 91Ó°¿âpublic affairs director, said. “The average student debt balance has more than doubled in the past two decades, and this increase is coming at the expense of inclusivity. Student debt disproportionately affects underrepresented groups like Black, Latinx and American Indian students; the scientific workforce and enterprise will narrow and suffer if relief doesn’t come soon.”

Historically marginalized groups such as Black students take on more debt than white students and are more likely to on their loans.

Recent Ph.D. graduates and postdocs already . The student debt burden causes them to delay important milestones, such as purchasing property, which stifles the national economy, the 91Ó°¿ânoted.

To alleviate these financial burdens and allow the scientific workforce to grow, the 91Ó°¿âcalled for the Education Department to expand public and private service programs similar to the National Institutes of Health . This program aims to counteract “financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified education debt in return for commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.”

Neote said: “Education attainment and fulfillment should not come with such an unattainably high price tag.”