A new analysis from New America and interviews reported by Higher Ed Dive argue that some institutions’ “enrollment management” tactics are worsening debt burdens for low-income families through Parent PLUS loans. The report highlights how colleges can offer generous tuition discounts to higher-income students while charging lower-income students large net costs. New America’s February report lists 41 institutions that, it says, provided average aid gaps of nearly $15,000 per first-year student without financial need in 2023, while students with family incomes of $30,000 or less faced average post-aid charges around $18,000—often filled with Parent PLUS borrowing. The analysis lands amid the shift coming this summer under a 2024 Republican tax law that will lower Parent PLUS exposure by imposing a $65,000 lifetime limit. The report’s author, Stephen Burd, argues the policy may reduce but not eliminate inequities because even capped borrowing can remain difficult for lower-income households to repay.