This week the government released student loan data that is pretty discouraging, especially for private colleges.

It’s no secret that student loan default rates have increased over the last few years. Up until now, the government has measured how many students go into default within 2 years of starting repayments. Based on that metric 6.7% of all post grads go into default, but those graduating from private colleges have a default rate of 11%.

The phrase “knowledge is power” has become more and more common in today’s society. But knowledge is only power if you know how to use it. A surprising number of students have been kept in the dark about financial issues and challenges because families often want to protect students by not taking the time to teach them how to handle money more responsibly.  At the UNT Student Money Management Center, we strive to be a student-centered resource teaching University of North Texas students that financial independence begins with financial responsibility.  

Nothing says “college is a really serious investment that often leaves people in just-as-serious financial debt” quite like a page filled with maps and graphs, right? Kiplinger handles the dose of reality this round in releasing their “Student Debt vs. Average Income” map, an extremely comprehensive detailing of where the best values lie, which states are graduating the most students in debt, and which schools run up the highest tuition bills.