Student Loan Debt

I was reading an article about student loan debt and the crisis that it is causing.  The average debt for a student when they complete their undergrad degree is $24,000.  Different types of loans have different policies about the length of payback, but at whatever rate, it is a sizable amount of debt to be saddled with as you begin your professional career.  Then I came across this story (Click to Read the Story) that details how one individual now has $200,000 in student debt.  Her payments will soon be over $1600 a month...for the next 20 years. Some people have talked a little bit about the appropriate cost of college.  Is college too expensive for the average person now?  Should students, when they enter the "real world" be saddled with debt?