Beyond the Numbers: Humanizing the Student Debt Crisis Through Borrower Narratives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/3x2fya85Keywords:
Student debt crisis, Borrower narratives, Qualitative analysis, Vulnerable borrowersAbstract
Student loan debt is not only a financial burden but also a lived experience shaped by emotional, institutional, and social forces. This study analyzes 275 borrower narratives voluntarily submitted to the Student Debt Crisis Center platform, using reflexive thematic analysis to examine how individuals perceive and navigate their debt. After analyzing 275 stories, five major themes emerged: emotional distress, lifecourse disruption, structural vulnerability, persistent repayment barriers, and the erosion of trust in education. Together, those themes illustrate the complex ways student debt affects identity, stability, and future planning. This qualitative approach complements dominant quantitative scholarship by foregrounding the processes of lived experience and elevating borrower voices as critical data in understanding the crisis.
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