"Virginia’s highly educated workforce comes with a significant financial burden, as the state ranks fourth in the nation for average federal student loan debt," WSLS reports.

... "'College is so expensive, and there are so many resources out there,' says Jill Desjean, policy analyst for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)."

"Desjean emphasizes that potential students shouldn’t shy away from seeking financial assistance."

"'One thing that’s really funny is you hear so much from people who say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to apply for financial aid because I don’t think I’ll qualify,’ and that’s hardly ever true,' she said."

"Income-driven repayment plans offer one solution for managing student loan debt, basing payments on the borrower’s income rather than the total loan amount."

"'I don’t like to scare people off with debt,' Desjean says. 'You can always get an income-driven repayment plan, but it is perfectly understandable to hear someone say 30 or 40 or $50,000 in debt is simply just a number that I don’t want to have hanging over me.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 9/16/2025