Students across US to protest college debt, demand free public universities

University students across the United States are set to walk out of classrooms to protest against mounting college loan debt and rally for tuition-free public universities and an increase in the minimum wage for campus workers.

Thursday's protests, dubbed the Million Student March, are expected to draw thousands of students from about 100 US colleges.

Protest organizers are demanding the cancellation of all student debt and free public universities, as well as a $15-an-hour minimum wage for campus employees.

"Education should be free. The United States is the richest country in the world, yet students have to take on crippling debt in order to get a college education," the movement's organizers said in a statement on their website.

"This is clearly an urgent crisis, but establishment politicians from both parties are failing to take action," their statement said.

The total amount of unpaid US student loan debt has more than doubled from $600 billion to $1.2 trillion since 2006, according to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The bureau, an independent federal agency responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector,  said there are about 8 million college loan borrowers in default, representing more than $110 billion, while millions more are finding it difficult to keep up with payments.

A student’s debt can sometimes amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many college graduates have struggled to pay back loans amid a weak economy and ailing job market.

Dealing with the swiftly rising student loan debt has been a focus of US presidential candidates.

The demonstrations come as college students across the US plan to hold protests this week against racism on college campuses, prompted by rallies over the rising number of racist incidents against black students at the University of Missouri.

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