ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by contextualizing the American student debt problem. It defines and situates "Work Colleges" within this context and analyzes Work Colleges as an alternative to student borrowing. The chapter examines the amounts of federal debt reported by students who graduate from Work Colleges using 2008-2009 through 2012-2013 data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. While there is often confusion and disagreement about the costs and benefits of a college education, a review of the literature consistently demonstrates significant, strong returns to both individuals and the public from an individual's increased years in higher education. The chapter explores Work Colleges, an established but as yet still unconventional alternative means for higher education centered on the premise that students can "earn" their way through college while they "learn", and thus avoid significant student debt. Alice Lloyd College is a 90-year-old private liberal arts college in Kentucky that focuses on educating residents from a specific 108-county region of Appalachia.
