According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 400,000 qualified high school graduates a year delay or forgo enrolling in college due to financial barriers, amounting to 4.4 million students lost between 2001 and 2010.
For students who make it to college, financial pressures can lead students to drop out, or work more than 20 hours a week, which is proven to lower the odds of completing a degree. After graduation, the burden of student loan repayment often limits career options and the ability to save money or start a family. In 2008, two-thirds of all four-year college graduates borrowed, with an average debt of $23,186. The number of college graduates with at least $40,000 in student loan debt has increased tenfold in the past decade.
–via The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PA – Keeping college degrees affordable, attainable.

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