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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sara Braun

‘Not a gift-giving year’: student loan debt upends US borrowers’ holiday spending

a person filling out a repayment form
Teacher Kelly Elizabeth Belt fills out paperwork to pay back her student loan in Provo, Utah, on 30 May. Photograph: Jim Urquhart/Reuters

A recent survey found that a whopping 40% of student loan borrowers say that their loans have negatively affected their ability to cover their basic needs, such as food, housing and transportation – a financial burden that becomes even more apparent around the holiday season.

At first glance, someone like Ben L should not be struggling financially. He attended Georgetown University and Columbia University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively, and now earns a six-figure salary working at a biotech company. Still, the 36-year-old is drowning in student debt.

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