That’s SO much money, actually, and most young people will not be able to afford that. The median starting salary for college graduates isn’t a good measure for a couple of reasons: One, many college graduates don’t make that much. I never did, even at the top of my career! Two, even if you are making $55K, you still can’t afford $500 per month if you’re paying today’s mortgages and if you have a child. Are you expecting that people won’t start families if they attend college? A woman’s fertility may be gone by the time she pays off her loan. Of course, some people never pay off their loans. I know many who faithfully paid for decades, only to owe more when they’re 60 than they borrowed in the first place. I’m thankful I graduated without debt (in 1988, when a poor kid could still do that) because I’d never have gotten out from under a loan.