You're right, more debt is not a good reason for higher salary. Higher salary is a value proposition. If a candidate can prove they can add substanial value to

You're right, more debt is not a good reason for higher salary. Higher salary is a value proposition. If a candidate can prove they can add substanial value to a company they can demand a higher salary. This value proposition is very hard for new grads though. Most come out of school with little to no work experience, internships included. So it's hard for them to make this case. Not only can they usually not make the case, depending on the role, a new employee is not at optimum productivity until .5-1.5 years on the job. This is one of the main causes of employers always looking for that 1+ years of experience. The first year is most costly to the employer in training and risk the employee just taking a job somewhere else.