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For kids graduating from reputable, top-tier colleges, an average debt load in the $15K to $25K range is not unmanageable.
I start to worry, though, about kids coming out of NYU (for example), where the average debt load is now over $40K, which probably means a non-trivial number of kids are coming out of there with debt in the $60K to $70K range as undergrads, and sometimes double or triple that by the time they finish an advanced degree that qualifies them for a real career as something other than a Starbucks barista. And the farther down the college-quality scale you go, the less you're buying in exchange for all that debt, until you get to the for-profit colleges, some of which in my view are little better than scams for bilking gullible kids out of their borrowed money. I don't think colleges at that end of the market, or perhaps even mid-market, are doing a good job of policing themselves, which to my mind calls for a strong dose of consumer protection regulation.
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