President Biden’s promise to cancel certain federal student debt may factor into students’ decision to pursue a graduate degree.
The plan forgives $10,000 in debt, or $20,000 for students who received Pell Grants.
Meagan Hurley is one of those recipients. “I qualified for $20,000 off my student loan debt so now the prospects of actually paying off my remaining student loans and saving for grad school is an actual possibility.”
Economics senior Remy Villasenor is another student who looks forward to loan forgiveness. “After I graduate, I hope to work for a company that will pay for me to get a graduate degree. But the debt relief acts could be helpful if the company didn’t cover the full price of my tuition.”
First generation college student David Ramirez encourages students who want to further their education to find a funded program such as a teaching or research assistantship or a fellowship that gives you a stipend to cover the cost of going to grad school.
“After getting my bachelor in aerospace engineering I was able to get a fellowship from the Department of Defense and work for the U.S. Navy while publishing academic papers. The funding process is very competitive for S.T.E.M. research. You can receive around $3000 a month.”
Long Beach State is recognized as the No. 2 master’s-level university in the nation and is ranked No. 1 in social mobility. There are currently around 6,000 students enrolled in graduate programs at CSULB and 65 different fields to choose from.
In the Spring of 2022 there was a total of 1,652 applicants to master’s and doctoral programs. Out of the 626 that were admitted, 341 students enrolled in classes, a 59% increase in applications compared to last year.
This increase in applicants suggests a growing interest in Long Beach State as a graduate program destination.