Saturday, August 14, 2010

Student loan debt bursting making it higher than even credit card debt

Credit card debt has fallen behind student loans when it comes to the number one debt. While people are paying down their credit card balances within the aftermath of the financial crisis, college costs continue to rise. Because student loans don’t have as much consumer protection, they have been picked up by more people. Numerous think that colleges have been raising the costs of tuition making it almost not worth it to get student loans. A bachelor’s degree isn’t really even needed for the fields growing the fastest right now. Source for this article – Student loan debt exceeds credit card debt as college costs rise by Personal Money Store.

Students get more loans with college costs increasing

Americans owe about $ 826.5 billion in revolving credit, as outlined by June 2010 figures from the Federal Reserve. FinAid.org compiled reports shown on the Wall Street Journal to show student loans totals to be at $ 829,785 billion. Student debt has gone up $ 300 billion in just the last four years, reports the Journal in an interview with Mark Kantrowitz who’s the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com. With college costs increasing rapidly and the duration of unemployment increasing, numerous parents borrow to make up the main difference.

Student loans don’t have the consumer protection they need

Student loan debt can be more dangerous than credit card debt. Student loans nevertheless stay with a person, even through a bankruptcy. Missing payments with student loan repayment can mean some terrible penalties. Student Loan Justice reports that consumer protections like statutes of limitations, truth in lending laws, state usury laws and fair debt collection statutes don’t come with student loans as they do with credit cards. As outlined by the exact same group, student loans are “an inherently predatory lending system that succeeds when the students fail.”

College costs enough to drain family finances

Student loan debt is rising along with college costs. 2009-2010’s average tuition prices for private colleges and in state tuition state colleges were $ 35,636 and $ 15,213, reports Bank Investment Consultant. A rise of 5 percent has happened each and every year. There are announcements from top institutions claiming they are raising their charges this year to be over $ 50,000. This is too much for families trying to use all of their savings and spend income as well to pay for school.

Bachelor’s degrees beginning to become worthless

Rising student loan debt leads some to wonder whether going in hock for years to get a degree is worth it. As outlined by the New York Times, despite six years of trying, only half of all students beginning a bachelor’s degree in 2006 will graduate by 2012. Only seven of the 30 jobs that are intended to grow fastest in the next ten years even need a bachelor’s degree, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are also 10 of the top growing job categories, 2 of which need degrees. 15 percent of all mail carriers have bachelor degrees as shown in a 1999 federal study discussed within the Times by Richard K. Vedder who is the founder of the Center for College Affordability. He said:

“Some of them could have purchased a house for what they spent on their education.”

More on this topic

Wall Street Journal

blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/08/09/student-loan-debt-surpasses-credit-cards/

Bank Investment Consultant

bankinvestmentconsultant.com/bic_issues/2010_8/college-cost-gone-wild-2668047-1.html?zkPrintable=1 and amp;nopagination=1

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/05/16/weekinreview/16steinberg.html



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