In the Rochester Finger Lakes region the average college graduate has about 30 thousand dollars in student loan debt according to a report released by Senator Charles Schumer.
The Democrat announced a plan to collect stories on his websitefrom Americans struggling with student debt.
Schumer says it’s time for the federal government to step in, but the first step to finding solutions is listening to people’s stories.
The average debt for people with bachelor’s degrees in Upstate New York is more than 28 thousand dollars.
“A college education has become a necessity priced as a luxury,” says Schumer.
Schumer says even with lower tuitions at state colleges, the cost of university is still out of reach for many in the middle class.
“Until we get some really large federal help, we’re not going to get enough of the help we need to reduce the burden on the middle class, and that’s why we’re launching this push,” he says.
Student loan debt in the United States is more than $1 trillion dollars.
Schumer Report - College Affordability & Student Debt Online Campaign