...legally, yes. However, he couldn't afford it, and I haven't gone delinquent, ever. In practical terms, he made it clear that he was cosigning because without that action I wouldn't have been able to afford college.
He could not, and does not to this day, have the money to pay down those loans (which I am currently paying down). However, he did have one thing he could offer: a reasonable credit history.
Essentially he lent me credibility. (And then told me nobody would ever find the body if I didn't pay down my debt.)
I was incredibly bitter too when my parents left me hanging and I had to pay for most of tuition and rent. But then I realized lots of people pay for their own education. I certainly didn't achieve the impossible.
Think of your stepdad's stance as tough love and motivation.
I am not bitter in the slightest, I'm just astounded that so many people expected their parents to pay for their college (and in turn expect to pay for their adult offspring's education). Simply put, it doesn't compute.
He could not, and does not to this day, have the money to pay down those loans (which I am currently paying down). However, he did have one thing he could offer: a reasonable credit history.
Essentially he lent me credibility. (And then told me nobody would ever find the body if I didn't pay down my debt.)