>The requirement of a co-signer essentially means that the only people who get to go to college are the people who can afford to go to college before they go to

>The requirement of a co-signer essentially means that the only people who get to go to college are the people who can afford to go to college before they go to college That's not what it means at all. College is not a binary option. There many schools with varying tuition. And even in a world where college tuition is much higher than it should be due to the distortion of subsidized and guaranteed federal loans, a student can make a decision that balances their financial situation and academic goals. That may involve choosing a less prestigious state school closer to home, working in the summers, or working part-time, or going to school part-time, etc. I also don't really understand your point. The requirement for consignment of a loan is because the loaner cannot afford the loan. That doesn't change if the loan is simply guaranteed as in the present system. >but people who should go to college can't, both because they can't get the funds (even though they could pay them back as a graduate) Why wouldn't that be incorporated into the loan application, i.e. the ability of the loaner to graduate and join a competitive field. That's the argument I'm making. The people who are most screwed by school debt are those that went to expensive schools to get non-competitive degrees that won't enable them to pay back their debt. Nobody is crying for doctors who may carry a large debt, but also make very good money. >because the first group is driving up prices. Funny you should reference market mechanics now ....