To the editor:

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the recent opinion essay, “Degrees of Uncertainty” (Dec. 15, 2025). The author raises important questions about rising college costs, institutional incentives, and the risks of oversimplifying complex financial challenges facing students and families.  We are pleased that she recognizes Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) help address affordability challenges and provide many benefits for students and colleges. 

However, the author questions whether students should benefit from a guarantee that their college degree will be economically valuable. 

LRAPs are, at their core, student loan insurance. It can be scary to borrow large student loans to finance an expensive college degree.  There is a market failure, however, every time a student does not attend their preferred college, study their preferred major, or pursue their preferred career because they are afraid of student loans.  Students should be free to pursue their passions – not forced into second-best choices because of the cost of the degree or the prospect of a lower income in the future.  

Society also loses out – especially if the lower-income career a student wants to pursue is a human service profession, such as education, where they will invest in improving the lives of others. 

Most purchases come with a warranty or guarantee. Why should college be different? Colleges promise to provide value to students. We applaud those colleges and universities that stand behind that promise with a financial guarantee.

As consumers, we routinely insure our biggest risks and largest purchases.  We insure our homes, cars, boats, and lives – and even our pets.  Why shouldn’t we insure an expensive investment in college? 

In any class we can expect some students will earn less than their peers.  It is reasonable for students to fear being among that group.  An individual student cannot diversify that risk. That is the function of insurance.  

LRAPs spread the risk across many students, just as insurance does with other familiar risks.  Most drivers can’t protect themselves from the chance of being in a car accident and facing a large repair and medical expenses.  Insurance spreads that risk, turning a small chance of a very large cost into a small premium that protects against that loss. 

LRAPs serve the same function for students – without the cost – because colleges cover the  program, giving students peace of mind and the freedom to attend their preferred college and pursue their passions. 

By doing this, LRAPs are a tool that can help colleges increase enrollment and revenue. This additional revenue can be invaluable at a time when colleges face many structural challenges – from regulatory changes to the disruption of AI to declining enrollment caused by the demographic cliff. 

LRAPs provide meaningful protection to students while maintaining clear incentives to focus on completion, career preparation, and post-graduation outcomes.