To pay for her double degree MBA and MS (environmental studies), my daughter took loans, mainly Federal Direct Loans. The interest rates were usurious. Once she got into the economy she was able to make a small dent in the outstanding amount but the interest rates were absurdly high (if I recall correctly, 7.65% APR on the Federal Direct Loans), and she could barely reduce the balance due.
Finally, after a year of our daughter making payments while living paycheck to paycheck, we came to her rescue. We had fallen into some money from an inheritance; our first expenditure from that was to bail our daughter out of debt. Since then she has been totally self-supporting, while living in a high cost location. She has been able to develop an interesting career.