<p>DH had $55k in student loan debt when he graduated from a T14 law school (late 1980s). It was $800+/mo. for almost ten years. Didn’t buy a house til we were 37 and the kids were finally in elementary school. Between student loans and day care, paying rent in a high-cost area and trying to save for a down payment, we were strapped. No help from either of our parents with anything after HS graduation.</p>
<p>That kind of debt affects all sorts of decisions in your life that you can’t even imagine now – travel, what kind of job, what your spouse does for a living, when to have kids, who will care for them…</p>
<p>As a parent, I would not let my sons take on that kind of debt. Stafford loans are one thing; I think they need to have skin in the game. $60-100K for undergrad: no way, no how. They couldn’t get those kinds of loans without a co-signer, and DH and I would refuse to do it.</p>