How do you pay for your education?

As the costs of college have soared, average student debt levels have more than doubled in the last decade, and nearly two-thirds of four-year college graduates now have student loans, according to studentdebtalert.org. Thirty-nine percent of student borrowers graduate with unmanageable levels of federal student loan debt. The number of students graduating owing over $25,000 has tripled since the early 1990s.

If people dont take out student loans, then how will they pay for their education? asked Paul Rockwood, 20, a junior majoring in criminal justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Joining Rockwood as he worked at an information desk on campus was Hina Shaikh, 19, a third-year architecture major. She added, There are a lot of people who want to go to college but they cant because they dont have the money. Generations of potential college students wind up working at McDonalds and Burger King, she commented. They cant move on, theyre just stuck there.

Phillip Mosley, 19, an African American junior studying accounting, said attending UIC costs roughly $10,000 a year if you live off campus, and $20,000 if you live on campus. Its expensive, he said, especially if you cant get help from your parents. Mosley told the World he is certain to have $27,000 in student loan debt, not including interest, after he graduates. He wants to go to graduate school, which could easily mean another $40,000 in loans.

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