Latest Work
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January 2026 Default Crisis Fact Sheet
Learn more about the student loan default crisis.
More
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2025 Student Loan Default Crisis: State by State
Protect Borrowers’ analysis shows that by the end of 2025, student loan borrowers had defaulted on debts totaling more than $92 billion—bringing the total number of borrowers whose debts meet the legal definition of a student loan default to nearly 9 million people nationwide.
More
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Memo: Investigative Findings Related to California Colleges’ Continued Use of Unlawful Transcript Withholding Practices
Protect Borrowers and The HERE Lab at the University of California, Merced released findings from a months-long investigation looking into the ongoing use of unlawful transcript withholding policies across California. The investigation found that despite this practice being prohibited for six years now, nearly ⅓ of public colleges and universities across the state continue to have policies that may subject students to unlawful transcript withholding.
More
Latest Work
-
January 2026 Default Crisis Fact Sheet
Learn more about the student loan default crisis.
More
-
2025 Student Loan Default Crisis: State by State
Protect Borrowers’ analysis shows that by the end of 2025, student loan borrowers had defaulted on debts totaling more than $92 billion—bringing the total number of borrowers whose debts meet the legal definition of a student loan default to nearly 9 million people nationwide.
More
-
Memo: Investigative Findings Related to California Colleges’ Continued Use of Unlawful Transcript Withholding Practices
Protect Borrowers and The HERE Lab at the University of California, Merced released findings from a months-long investigation looking into the ongoing use of unlawful transcript withholding policies across California. The investigation found that despite this practice being prohibited for six years now, nearly ⅓ of public colleges and universities across the state continue to have policies that may subject students to unlawful transcript withholding.
More
Latest Work
-
January 2026 Default Crisis Fact Sheet
Learn more about the student loan default crisis.
More
-
2025 Student Loan Default Crisis: State by State
Protect Borrowers’ analysis shows that by the end of 2025, student loan borrowers had defaulted on debts totaling more than $92 billion—bringing the total number of borrowers whose debts meet the legal definition of a student loan default to nearly 9 million people nationwide.
More
-
Memo: Investigative Findings Related to California Colleges’ Continued Use of Unlawful Transcript Withholding Practices
Protect Borrowers and The HERE Lab at the University of California, Merced released findings from a months-long investigation looking into the ongoing use of unlawful transcript withholding policies across California. The investigation found that despite this practice being prohibited for six years now, nearly ⅓ of public colleges and universities across the state continue to have policies that may subject students to unlawful transcript withholding.
More
Latest Work
-
January 2026 Default Crisis Fact Sheet
Learn more about the student loan default crisis.
More
-
2025 Student Loan Default Crisis: State by State
Protect Borrowers’ analysis shows that by the end of 2025, student loan borrowers had defaulted on debts totaling more than $92 billion—bringing the total number of borrowers whose debts meet the legal definition of a student loan default to nearly 9 million people nationwide.
More
-
Memo: Investigative Findings Related to California Colleges’ Continued Use of Unlawful Transcript Withholding Practices
Protect Borrowers and The HERE Lab at the University of California, Merced released findings from a months-long investigation looking into the ongoing use of unlawful transcript withholding policies across California. The investigation found that despite this practice being prohibited for six years now, nearly ⅓ of public colleges and universities across the state continue to have policies that may subject students to unlawful transcript withholding.
More
Latest Work
-
January 2026 Default Crisis Fact Sheet
Learn more about the student loan default crisis.
More
-
2025 Student Loan Default Crisis: State by State
Protect Borrowers’ analysis shows that by the end of 2025, student loan borrowers had defaulted on debts totaling more than $92 billion—bringing the total number of borrowers whose debts meet the legal definition of a student loan default to nearly 9 million people nationwide.
More
-
Memo: Investigative Findings Related to California Colleges’ Continued Use of Unlawful Transcript Withholding Practices
Protect Borrowers and The HERE Lab at the University of California, Merced released findings from a months-long investigation looking into the ongoing use of unlawful transcript withholding policies across California. The investigation found that despite this practice being prohibited for six years now, nearly ⅓ of public colleges and universities across the state continue to have policies that may subject students to unlawful transcript withholding.
More
-
2025 Protect Borrowers Highlights Report
Check out our 2025 highlights!
More
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Fact Sheet: Los Angeles Borrowers Experience Economic Hardship Across Demographics Due to Impending Student Loan Default Crisis and Systemic Chaos
The fact sheet includes data showing how borrowers in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of California are experiencing economic hardship on the precipice of the impending student loan default crisis.
More
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Deep Dive: New Research Shows the Profound Impact of Debt on Perceptions of Higher Ed
For the first time, a novel set of research investigates the perspectives of student loan borrowers in various repayment plans on key issues, including (1) the value of their higher education experience, (2) the educational threshold for financial security, and (3) their trust in loan servicers and the federal government concerning loan repayment information.
More
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Report and Fact Sheets: How Rising Utility Costs Are Fueling Debt and Overwhelming American Families
The Century Foundation (TCF) and Protect Borrowers reveal that rising energy and utility costs are pushing families deeper and deeper into debt, fueled by poorly regulated utility monopolies, the explosion of AI data centers, and President Trump’s policies that have jacked up Americans’ utility bills.
More
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Fact Sheet: Austin Borrowers and Families Experiencing Economic Hardship Due to Impending Student Loan Default Crisis and Systemic Chaos Across Demographics
The fact sheet includes data showing how borrowers in the Austin metropolitan area of Texas are experiencing economic hardship on the precipice of the impending student loan default crisis, and that women, older borrowers, and borrowers in majority-Latino neighborhoods are disproportionately burdened by student debt.
More
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Testimony of Jennifer Zhang at the People’s Oversight Hearing Held by Public Knowledge
See here to read Jennifer Zhang’s November 12, 2025 testimony.
More
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Fact Sheet: Twin Cities Borrowers and Families Experiencing Economic Hardship Due to Impending Student Loan Default Crisis and Systemic Chaos Across Demographics
The fact sheet includes data showing how borrowers in the Louisville metropolitan area are experiencing severe delinquency on the precipice of the impending student loan default crisis, and that women, older borrowers, and borrowers in majority-Black neighborhoods are disproportionately burdened by student debt.
More