<p>Yikes... Average of $22,900. Sorry if this has been posted before but I didn't see anything. If it's a repeat just take this down. Otherwise, discuss!</p>
<p>Number</a> of the Week: Class of 2011, Most Indebted Ever - Real Time Economics - WSJ</p>
<p>Regarding the $22,900 figure, is this just including the students that are in debt or all students? In other words, do students with 0 debt included in this statistic?</p>
<p>“With tuition rising at an annual rate of about 5% and cash-strapped parents less able to help, the mean student-debt burden at graduation will reach nearly $18,000 this year, estimates Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of student-aid websites Fastweb.com and FinAid.org. Together with loans parents take on to finance their children’s college educations — loans that the students often pay themselves – the estimate comes to about $22,900.”</p>
<p>So yes, this analysis includes everyone, even those whose personal debt load is 0.</p>
<p>Actually, that number doesn’t sound so horrendous to me (but I am still not certain if this includes zero debt kids). What I am also worried about is student debt of school leavers are not graduating.</p>
<p>Agreed. Obviously it depends what you’re studying and what field your going into, but with all the many payment plans out there… for an average… I was expecting it to be a bit higher.</p>
<p>I am really grateful that both of mine finished w/o debt.</p>
<p>One of the headlines next to the story was also very scary: 1 in 7 on food stamps. Even those w/o loans might some day fall into that group.</p>
<p>Story of a 31 year old photography major whose fiance dumped her after he discovered she had $170,000 in student loan debt.</p>
<p>[How</a> Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship - The New York Times](<a href=“How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship - The New York Times”>How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship - The New York Times)</p>
<p>The question isn’t the debt, but rather the value received for the total price (debt plus out-of-pocket), as long as the debut is within reason. In particular, if you’re able to receive FA, you may have the fantastic opportunity to get a fine education at a greatly discounted price - something you should definitely take advantage of.</p>
<p>Frankly, that $22,900 figure sounds pretty darn trivial for any college degree worth anything at all.</p>
<p>Of course, not all degrees are worth anything at all. Caveat emptor!</p>
<p>$22,900 is mean debt for all graduates. About 66% of graduates with debt that means students with debt are about $34,720 rather than $22,900.
Just a guess, the amount debt can range from as little as $5000 or as much as > $100,000.</p>