Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
221.81 sec. 001 - Student Loan Law (Spring 2025)
Instructor: Suzanne Melanie Martindale (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
Tu 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 240
From January 14, 2025
To February 25, 2025
Course End: February 25, 2025
Class Number: 33035
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 16
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 24
As of: 01/17 02:55 AM
If you're a Berkeley student, there's a good chance you're taking out loans to help pay for school. Every year, roughly 7 in 10 students nationwide leave post-high school education with debt. The debt burdens affect everyone but fall disproportionately on people who identify as low-income, female and/or people of color, exacerbating inequities in our society and creating barriers to building generational wealth.
In recent years, the federal student loan system has become mired in confusion and controversy, particularly as the Biden Administration has been sued over efforts to reduce payments and provide debt relief. Amid all this uncertainty, people with student loans are wondering what their rights are - and serious questions remain as to how policymakers can create a fairer system in the long term.
So how did the promise of higher education turn into a mountain of debt? And what can we do to fix it?
In this course, students will develop an understanding of the legal framework that governs their loans. The course will also cover ongoing litigation and policy developments at the state and federal level that touch on student debt. Administrative law and procedure, consumer protection, federal preemption and economic justice will all be discussed along the way. This course will have three short written assignments.
***
Suzanne Martindale is a proud Berkeley Law alum who is honored to be teaching this course again.
Off campus, Suzanne serves as Senior Deputy Commissioner for the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI), the state's financial regulator. The DFPI oversees state-chartered banks and credit unions, mortgage lenders, student loan servicers, debt collectors, and "fintech" companies among others. Suzanne is in charge of the DFPI's Consumer Financial Protection Division, which is dedicated to identifying emerging trends and increasing oversight of the financial industry to protect California communities.
Suzanne received her J.D. from Berkeley Law in 2010; M.A. in the Humanities from The University of Chicago in 2005; and B.A. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley in 2003.
(P.S. and she got her loans canceled through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program - so feel free to ask her about her own experience repaying her student loans!)
Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 25-FEB-25 and 02-MAR-25
Exam Notes: (None) Class requires a series of papers, assignments, or presentations throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Social Justice and Public Interest
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.