Cameron Russell’s mother, a rural mail carrier, and father, a crawfish farmer, always pushed him toward college, even though they didn’t have degrees. But his family’s encouragement could only go so far.

Undergraduates who are the first in their family to attend college often need help navigating campuses, filling out financial aid forms, and adapting to the pressures of cultural change. To aid them, organizations are honing their support to focus on everything that’s needed to achieve a degree.

After a three-year hiatus, tens of millions of Americans are starting to make payments again on their federal student loans. While a robust job market and wage growth should ease the sting of the added bill, stubbornly high prices for food and housing have stretched household budgets.

Against this backdrop, borrowers say they are stressed and feel the weight of their debt bearing down. In this interview, people across the country share their experiences about entering repayment.

Illustration: Martin León Barreto

The process of two-year college students transferring to four-year institutions has long been dotted with bureaucratic barriers, including the fact that colleges and states often define and label course credits differently. This forces students to retake classes, costing them extra time, effort, and money.

Some states and colleges are finding ways to help. New research from the U.S. Department of Education highlights the colleges and states with the most effective transfer rates and systems—and how their practices can be models for others.