Data and Code for: Student Debt Relief and Racial Wealth Gaps

The Biden-Harris Administration released a plan to cancel federal student loans for 43 million borrowers on August 24, 2022. While the Supreme Court struck down the Biden-Harris' student debt relief plan on June 30, 2023, the White House is now planning to use the Higher Education Act of 1965, a federal law that governs the student loan program, to bring about relief for student borrowers. This article estimates the potential impact of broad-based student debt relief on racial and ethnic wealth gaps. On average, federal student debt potentially eligible for relief explains 3% of the White-Black wealth gaps, suggesting that broad-based student debt relief could significantly mitigate racial wealth inequities.<br><br>Note: This is data and code accompanying the article.