The Anti-dowry: Student Loan Debt

Are student loans bad debt?   Photo: Tom Peck

The New York Times reports this week about rising student loan debt and the ramifications. In 2010, the average debt of college students graduating with loans was $24,000.  The gist of the article is that student debt is becoming more of a factor in American life. More college graduates have it and more of them have a lot of it. 

It's sometimes called the anti-dowry because unlike a dowry, which in some cultures helps a young couple get set up in life, a student loan debt can delay marriage, family, and home ownership.

Let's look at some salient findings and facts from the article.

The bad
- Student loans cannot be discharged by bankruptsy.
- Students who borrow from for-profit colleges especially likely to default.

The good
- College graduates earn more over their lifetime.
- College graduates are less likely to be unemployed.

The interesting
- President and Mrs. Obama finished their educations with a combined $120,000 of debt.
The Times reports that some economists are concerned that the scary stories of college debt will discourage people from attending college. But, college debt is seen by other experts as "good debt."

The Take-away: 
If you need to take on a loan to take on college, do it. Do it with careful deliberation and don't be part of the lost generation of young people who either forsake an education or spend too much on one. How do you know what's too much?  We'll explore in future posts.