--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Borrowing to pay for college used to be…" description: "\"Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.\" — Arne Duncan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png" --- # Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now… ![“Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.” quote by Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png) > “Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.” [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Student loans have shifted from a rare necessity to a common expectation for funding higher education. **In simple terms:** College now often requires borrowing. Key Takeaway Advocate for affordable education alternatives. Themes education finance policy inequality student debt Mood concerned critical Type policy social When to use this quote - college planning - financial aid counseling - policy reform - family budgeting Key Concepts access to higher education economic burden Questions to Reflect On - How does debt influence career choices? - What alternatives exist to borrowing? A Different Perspective Solutions may vary by region and institution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borrowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowing/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ## Related quotes > [I was in the choreography committee of my college, and we used to have an annual production and participate in inter-school competitions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-malhotra/i-was-in-the-choreography-committee-of-my-college-and-we-used-to-have/) [Sanya Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-malhotra/) > [When I was in college, I used to love to watch football on Sundays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-johnson/when-i-was-in-college-i-used-to-love-to-watch-football-on-sundays/) [Calvin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-johnson/) > [I had zero interest in going to college. I used my GI Bill to help pay for training. I hated doing group projects or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-had-zero-interest-in-going-to-college-i-used-my-gi-bill-to-help-pay/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [Originally, I think, I wanted to be an actor. But I got into broadcasting by accident, if you will, because I needed money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/originally-i-think-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-got-into/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [I was lucky to have a successful career as a model, but that was just a way to pay off my college loans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-lakshmi/i-was-lucky-to-have-a-successful-career-as-a-model-but-that-was-just/) [Padma Lakshmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-lakshmi/) > [People of my age who went to college, go into college, you know what it cost back then? Nothing or next to nothing. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/people-of-my-age-who-went-to-college-go-into-college-you-know-what-it/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [“No one disputes that college has gotten a lot more expensive. A recent Money magazine report notes, “After adjusting for financial aid, the amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-harlan-reynolds/no-one-disputes-that-college-has-gotten-a-lot-more-expensive-a-recent/) Glenn Harlan Reynolds > [I worked for dad on the grounds and I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-worked-for-dad-on-the-grounds-and-i-was-in-high-school-and-i-said-i/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [When I was a sophomore in college, my father called me at the fraternity. He told me he no longer had the funds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-j-lundgren/when-i-was-a-sophomore-in-college-my-father-called-me-at-the/) [Terry J. Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-j-lundgren/) > [I refuse to ask students to pay more for college; or kick children out of Head Start programs so those with the most can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-refuse-to-ask-students-to-pay-more-for-college-or-kick-children-out/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [College students today are drowning in debt, and it is hurting them and hurting our economy. We must find a way to help families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/college-students-today-are-drowning-in-debt-and-it-is-hurting-them/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I decided to join the military to give back to my country and help pay for college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stivers/i-decided-to-join-the-military-to-give-back-to-my-country-and-help/) [Steve Stivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stivers/) > [The whole student loan thing drives me completely nuts. If it wasn't possible for 18-year-olds to sign themselves up for tens of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-whole-student-loan-thing-drives-me-completely-nuts-if-it-wasn-t/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [Credit card companies pay college students generously to stand outside dining halls, dorms, and academic buildings and encourage their fellow students to apply for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-slaughter/credit-card-companies-pay-college-students-generously-to-stand/) [Louise Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-slaughter/) > [No one should be denied the opportunity to get an education and increase their earning potential based solely on their inability to pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-scott/no-one-should-be-denied-the-opportunity-to-get-an-education-and/) [Bobby Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-scott/) ## More by Arne Duncan > [ I just think we can't do enough of this \[student exchanges\]... And when you get young children traveling internationally, I think they come back… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/i-just-think-we-can-t-do-enough-of-this-student-exchanges-and-when/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Other countries haves passed us by. They're outworking us. They're outcompeting us. We have got to wake up and we have got to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/other-countries-haves-passed-us-by-they-re-outworking-us-they-re/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We all have a role to play - the President, Congress, parents, students and schools - in making college affordable and keeping the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-all-have-a-role-to-play-the-president-congress-parents-students/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [States should not balance their budgets on the backs of students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/states-should-not-balance-their-budgets-on-the-backs-of-students/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Far too many of our children today, our students, need remedial education. We have been lying to them. They're not really ready for college.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/far-too-many-of-our-children-today-our-students-need-remedial/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Whether it's in an inner-city school or a rural community, I want those students to have a chance to take A.P. biology and A.P.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/whether-it-s-in-an-inner-city-school-or-a-rural-community-i-want/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [So instead of watching TV, we read every night together as a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/so-instead-of-watching-tv-we-read-every-night-together-as-a-family/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Surveys show that many talented and committed young people are reluctant to enter teaching for the long haul because they think the profession is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/surveys-show-that-many-talented-and-committed-young-people-are/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Almost 24 million children - one in three - are likely growing up without their father involved in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/almost-24-million-children-one-in-three-are-likely-growing-up-without/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We've seen more reform in the last year than we've seen in decades, and we haven't spent a dime yet. It's staggering how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-ve-seen-more-reform-in-the-last-year-than-we-ve-seen-in-decades/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [I believe that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. And if you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequality, the classroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/i-believe-that-education-is-the-civil-rights-issue-of-our-generation/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Historically the Department of Education hasn't been doing enough to drive the sustainability movement, and today, I promise that we will be a committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/historically-the-department-of-education-hasn-t-been-doing-enough-to/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [State governments generate less revenue in a recession. As state leaders struggle to make up for lost revenue, legislatures tend to cut funding for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/state-governments-generate-less-revenue-in-a-recession-as-state/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We have had this massive effort on K-12 reform, raising standards, great teachers, great principals, turning around chronically failing schools, raising the bar, huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-have-had-this-massive-effort-on-k-12-reform-raising-standards/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [To be clear, we the Department of Education want curriculum to be driven by the local level. We are by law prohibited from directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/to-be-clear-we-the-department-of-education-want-curriculum-to-be/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) [Explore all 58 Arne Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) ## More Borrowing quotes > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [By taking out a loan, I am committing myself to years of interest repayments, and therefore to years of wage slavery. And the UK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/by-taking-out-a-loan-i-am-committing-myself-to-years-of-interest/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Perhaps art criticism cannot be reformed in a logical sense because it was never well-formed in the first place. Art criticism has long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/perhaps-art-criticism-cannot-be-reformed-in-a-logical-sense-because/) [James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-poet-ought-not-to-pick-nature-s-pocket-let-him-borrow-and-so-borrow/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Several southern actors are coming to Mumbai. Likewise, many Bollywood actors are appearing down South or borrowing ideas from southern films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-charan/several-southern-actors-are-coming-to-mumbai-likewise-many-bollywood/) [Ram Charan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-charan/) > [As for borrowing Mr. Whistler's ideas about art, the only thoroughly original ideas I have heard him express have had reference to his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/as-for-borrowing-mr-whistler-s-ideas-about-art-the-only-thoroughly/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hsu-yun/saints-and-ordinary-folks-are-the-same-from-the-start-inquiring-about/) Hsu Yun > [Borrowing money on what's called 'easy terms,' is a one-way ticket to the Poor House. If you think it ain't a Sucker Game, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/borrowing-money-on-what-s-called-easy-terms-is-a-one-way-ticket-to/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [What I'm concerned about is endless borrowing, which is going to compromise our economy not only today but in the future. Because we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/what-i-m-concerned-about-is-endless-borrowing-which-is-going-to/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [Debt is a bottomless sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/debt-is-a-bottomless-sea/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a big problem. The problem is the country borrowed too much. We went on a borrowing binge, there was a housing boom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-is-a-big-problem-the-problem-is-the-country-borrowed-too-much/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [Debtor countries may postpone the inevitable by borrowing from the IMF or U.S. Treasury to buy out bondholders. This saves the latter from taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/debtor-countries-may-postpone-the-inevitable-by-borrowing-from-the/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [We do not project power from bankruptcy court. We're borrowing a million dollars a minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/we-do-not-project-power-from-bankruptcy-court-we-re-borrowing-a/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) [Browse all 303 Borrowing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arne Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be-the-exception-now-it-s-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borrowing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be-the-exception-now-it-s-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/arne-duncan-11784_borrowing_borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be_211249.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.” — Arne Duncan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arne Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Borrowing to pay for college used...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be-the-exception-now-it-s-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be-the-exception-now-it-s-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```