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President Obama in Atlanta: For Tech students, student debt hits close to home

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March 10, 2015

With about a half hour before President Obama was set to speak, Georgia Tech students at McCamish Pavilion were waiting to hear more about his plans to make college more affordable.

Chelsea Ashworth, a senior international affairs student at Tech, expects to graduate with about $20,000 in debt.

“I plan to go to the Peace Corps after graduation, so I won’t be making a lot of money,” Ashworth, 21, said. “I’m excited to hear what the president has to say about loan repayment and deferment.”

Nationally, student loan debt has exceeded $1 trillion, with the average student graduating with about $28,400. Georgia’s graduates do a bit better. Students here graduate with an average debt load of $24,517.

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Janel Davis serves as a managing editor responsible for lifestyle and culture content.

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