Barack and Michelle Obama understand the heavy burden of student loan debt. The Obamas did not pay off their student loans until Obama’s best-selling books earned them millions of dollars.
With the cost of a college education (47) , more than 60% of students take out loans to fund their undergraduate education. On average, students who borrow graduate with debts of 22,700--a (48) of more than 18% from 2000. But some of those with a newly acquired bachelor’s degree are restrained with debts of 40,000 or more. You think this economy’s tough Try finding a job with the (49) of repaying tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Now, a new federal program--Income-Based Repayment--is making it (50) to pay back these loans. If a student chooses to repay her or his loan with this plan, payments are then readjusted--based on their income to something they can (51) afford. All debt will be forgiven after 25 years. A graduate who earns less than 150% of the (52) line won’t have to make any payments. This is in addition to the year-old Public Service Loan For-giveness program for those (53) in jobs such as law enforcement, public health and social work. Their loans will be forgiven after 10 years.
This (54) isn’t perfect; the loans have to be federal loans, not (55) But students with more than one federal student loan can combine them under the program. In some cases, borrowers with large debt and low-to- moderate incomes may benefit at the end of 25 years, with the (56) of their debt forgiven. Others with higher incomes, though, will pay more.- A) earning
- B) State
- C) rising
- D) jump
- E) pressure
- F) initiative
- G) poverty
- H) public
- I) balance
- J) raising
K) private L) barelyM) easierN) working O) reasonably