Debt Dilemma: AITA for Rejecting Parents Plan to Put $10,000 in Student Loans in My Name?

It started with a promise, then got weird fast. An 18-year-old about to leave for college thought their parents were finally ready to cover their undergrad, like they’d said for years.

But at the last second, the plan flipped: the parents wanted them to take out as much student loan money as possible, banking on government forgiveness so the family pays less. The twist is brutal, all the debt would sit in the kid’s name, they know little about it, and the parents act like it’s “foolproof” even though this changes everything about their education and their risk.

Now the family dinner is basically a financial hostage situation, and the kid is wondering if refusing makes them the a*****e.

Original Post

I’m(m18) about to go off to college and all my life my parents(f47 m56) had told me they planned to pay for my undergrad. At the last second, they told me that they wanted me to take out as many student loans as I can with the hopes that the government will forgive them and we’d get free money by the end of the year.

I feel like this is wrong because my family is relatively well off and the school I’m going to is fairly inexpensive. I’ve had ethical arguments with my parents before and I think it’s reprehensible to suddenly take on debt to get money from the government when we don’t need it, not to mention that all the debt is in my name, I know little about it, and they said they could pay it off.

I feel like an a*****e holding them to their agreement to pay out of pocket because I don’t want anything like that being attached to me on such short notice without more research. My parents are gambling that the government will give me debt forgiveness and in turn, they would get to pay $10,000 less for my education.

They think it’s foolproof but something like this makes me uncomfortable because I know nothing about this and never imagined myself taking out debt this early. AITA for refusing to take on debt?

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It’s a lot like the sister who kept getting stuck babysitting demands, until she set clear boundaries.

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The whole thing kicks off with years of “we’ll pay,” then the parents suddenly hit OP with a last-minute student loan speedrun.

OP is stuck between their parents saying they’ll pay it off and the uncomfortable fact that the loans are legally attached to OP’s name.

The parents’ “government forgiveness” gamble is what turns normal college planning into an ethical argument, especially since the school is already relatively inexpensive.

When OP refuses to take on debt without more time and research, the family’s agreement turns into a fight over who’s really taking the hit.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your perspective in the comments below.

Nobody wants to be the one legally holding the bag for their parents’ “free money” bet.

Want another inheritance fight? See why she refused her estranged father a share of grandfather’s art collection.