Bringing the Promise of Higher Education in Reach for More Americans

President Biden announced this week that an additional 125,000 Americans have been approved for $9 billion in debt relief through fixes his Administration has made to income-driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and by cancelling debt for borrowers with total and permanent disabilities. This announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans.

Though this forgiveness is nice for students with exiting loans, the question that needs to be addressed is what is being done to make education affordable for future students?

If college costs cannot come down, then what are options that future students can explore to make college more affordable and bring the promise of higher education in reach for more Americans?

Education at Work

Education at Work is a non-for-profit, U.S.-based provider of staffing solutions, whose mission is to help high-achieving college students gain the career-ready skills and financial stability needed to succeed after graduation.

An innovative twist on the traditional work study model, Education at Work enables college students to gain valuable, real-world experience at major employers and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to acquiring skills and earning hourly wages, students also earn up to $5,250 per year of employer-paid tuition assistance for their performance inside Education at Work and their college classrooms to help significantly offset the cost of their education and in most cases affording students to graduate debt free. This proven work-based learning model delivers job and economic mobility for college students while supporting employer business objectives.

Education at Work’s diverse collegiate workforce is the only work-based learning solution that generates career outcomes for students, provides employers a skilled workforce to address an early talent need, and delivers higher ed institutions a sustainable affordability and student success model.

Since its inception in 2012, Education at Work has awarded over $100 million in combined wages and tuition assistance to nearly 8,100 students nationwide. Seventy-five percent of the participating students identify as students of color and 50% are first generation college graduates.

On average, graduates finished college with about $15,000 less student debt (60% less) in comparison to their institutional peers. Eighty-six percent of graduates are employed full-time within 90 days post-graduation in comparison to a national sample of college graduates (69%).