<p>I think the consensus here is that the debt is not worth it. I do want togive another perspective on this. My good friend's daughter is a teacher. She went to an expensive, liberal arts college that she absolutely loved and loves to this day. The family felt that the school was a perfect fit for her, and indeed so it worked out. She was pretty sure she wanted to teach, and looked at any number of small "teachers" colleges, but the atmosphere and environment were just not to her liking. She was the type of kid who thrived best in a small nurturing environment. And so they paid the huge premium, including loans on part of both the parents and student for her to have this experience. I was perplexed at the time of that enormous investement, but have grown to see how it could be worth the money. Many of the "teachers" colleges have a large commuter element. There is a different atmosphere in true liberal arts colleges vs schools where business, education and criminal justice are the chief majors. Some of these LACs are legendary in the attention they give their students, and a larger number of graduates retain a strong attachment to the school for years to come. This young lady goes to reunions regularly and has a tight group of friends from the school. Also, given the high expense, you do get a different group of kids going there as opposed to a bargain priced small state school. A lot of the kids do not work at jobs as many hours, come from a higher socio eco family, are mostly full time, have a younger average age, more kids living on campus, more active campus life particularly on weekends. That may be worth the premium. It may not be. I suggest you and your daughter visit some representative schools of both sorts to see this difference and assess the cost value for you. Though it sounds staggering, and, yes, it will be painful to repay, and yes, on a pure practical matter it is not worth it, if it is truly a better venue for a student, it may be an investment worth considering.</p>