Illustration: L.J. Davids

Research shows that Black borrowers are more deeply indebted than their white counterparts. In addition to accumulating more debt, they also struggle to repay their debt.

These stark racial disparities in student loan-debt accumulation and repayment make it clear that race and racial inequality are central to understanding student-loan debt in the United States. Any discussion of student debt that fails to consider race is missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.

Given some of the unknowns for transfer students—such as which institution they will move to and how many of their credits will apply to program completion—it’s often difficult to estimate what a bachelor’s degree will cost. 

A new transfer scholarship from the University of Arkansas aims to address those affordability challenges—and increase student transfer success along the way. 

Photo: Allison Shelley

Working in a region of rural Arkansas long plagued by teacher shortages, Eveon Rivers seems like the perfect candidate to lead a classroom. But she's missing just one qualification: a bachelor’s degree. 

A program that hopes to combat rural teacher shortages by upskilling qualified school staff is helping her realize her dreams—at a bargain price. Rivers pays $75 per month and has only three more semesters left before she graduates and can get her teaching certification.