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Borrower Flees Country Over $60 Monthly Loan Payment—NYT Story Draws Backlash

Scott McClallen
Scott McClallen  |  April 04, 2026 3:00 PM

The New York Times defended a student loan borrower who fled the nation over a $60 monthly loan payment. 

The New York Times interviewed several people who borrowed thousands of dollars in student loans backed by taxpayers or left college with debt. Instead of repaying the debt, they left the country. One interviewee graduated in 2017 with a master’s degree in historic preservation – a nearly worthless degree – and had $65,000 in federal student loans. 

Faced with a $60 monthly payment and no job offers, that person, identified as Amanda Lynn Tully, fled the country. She hasn’t made a payment in over seven years, the NYTimes reported, and she was frustrated that the payment wasn't paying off the interest. People like Tully are one reason why America's debt load is so high. 

Many students pursue worthless undergraduate degrees only to get another worthless master's degree with no career plans. 

 The U.S. has about $1.6 trillion of outstanding student loan debt across 42.8 million borrowers.

The NYTimes reported: 

“Ms. Tully was on an income-based repayment plan, which allows many borrowers to have their remaining debt forgiven after 20 years of making qualifying payments. She was paying $60 per month when she defaulted. This amount, to many, may seem manageable. But for her, it remained psychologically burdensome.”

Instead of getting a job or two plus a roommate and sacrificing lifestyle to pay down the debt, the student fled the country. 

Federal student loans can’t be discharged by bankruptcy. They can only be paid off or discharged through death or severe injury. If you don't pay, then the government can garnish wages, place liens on assets, or seize tax refunds. 

The NYTimes interviewed another borrower, Enrique Zúñiga, who received a full scholarship to Princeton. He majored in Spanish and Portuguese, but couldn’t pay the tax bill incurred from the scholarship. In July 2022, Zúñiga graduated with a loan of $16,736. A year and five months later, Zúñiga had repaid less than $1,500, so he fled to China. 

Some college degrees, including science, engineering, statistics, economics, or healthcare, usually attract high salaries post-graduation. But many colleges offer nearly useless degrees that leave borrowers with high debt and few marketable skills.