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Default: The Student Loan Documentary

26 minutes 51 seconds

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Financing college is a challenge many students face. Follow the stories of borrowers from different backgrounds affected by the student lending industry. No matter when their loans were taken, many borrowers find themselves in a paralyzing predicament of repaying two, three, or multiple times the original amount borrowed. Currently borrowers have no bankruptcy protection, no cap on fees and penalties, and no recourse to law after graduating from college. The consequences are dire for students who are unable to repay their loans.

Media Details

Runtime: 26 minutes 51 seconds

Topic: Business, Education
Subtopic: Economics, Finance and Banking, General Education
Grade/Interest Level: 10 - 12
Standards:

Release Year: 2012
Producer/Distributor: Media Education Foundation
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Man stands with hands clasped and lips parted mid-speech. Backdrop displays photo collage of Chinese people. Caption. Made martial arts a part of mainstream America.

Woman and man, seated and smiling in front of a white columned monument. Caption. Cows. Sheep?

Senior woman stands in a crowd of people reaching towards something that is not visible in frame. In the foreground, a woman's hand in a blue latex glove. Caption. Where he learned about morality and economics.

Woman sits at a desk while speaking to a man in an office setting. Caption. How much money would you like to deposit?

Still image from: Beginning Balance: Financial Literacy (Budgeting)

Digital images of 3 side-by-side gray credit card shapes with 2 black lines, grid of 9 small rectangles, and yellow and orange overlapping circles.

Digital image of financial table, 1 labeled "simple interest loan," and the other, "compound interest loan." Each column has interest rate, fee, and interest payment totals for years 1, 2 and 3.

Still image from: Beginning Balance: Financial Literacy (Paying Income Tax & Filing Taxes)

Digital image of large black dollar signs flanking an icon depicting a family of 3.