> but I do question why it's the fault of anyone but the student if they apply only to $50k/yr schools, ignoring whatever their state schools are. State school

> but I do question why it's the fault of anyone but the student if they apply only to $50k/yr schools, ignoring whatever their state schools are. State schools aren't at $50k/yr (for in-state; some are for out of state), but they're not dirt cheap either. 4-year universities averaged a 15% tuition bump in 2011[1]. Median base tuition in 2011 was over $11,000, which does not include the thousands in miscellaneous fees, books (which are all "customized" for each school or only available as a non-downloadable ebook), online course software licenses, and mandated laptops that must be purchased. > Is it the loan companies' fault for trying to provide loans for students who likely can't pay them back? Yes and no. It's actually the government's fault for enacting legislation that forbids discharging he loan in bankruptcy. That completely removed the bank's need to do any risk assessment and price/approve loans accordingly. This in turn removes the incentive for schools to remain cost competitive, because their constituents have virtually guaranteed access to limitless capital. I don't have time to dig for it now, but I saw a graph not too long ago that showed tuition prices and average loan debt over time, which showed a considerable increase when that legislation was enacted. [1] http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx# http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx#