Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.
Wondering if you’ll ever afford it? Check out the last-resort methods our readers turned to to pay for their degrees.
Sticker Shock
Tuition at private and public colleges climbed steadily over the last decade:
Tuition, 2000-2009 (in thousands)
Deeper in Debt
The amount that students owe quintupled between 2000 and 2011.
School vs. Shopping
In 2010, for the first time ever, Americans’ outstanding student loans exceeded their total credit card debt:
Sources: College Board; Mark Kantrowitz, Fastweb.com
