Is college education worth it?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is college education worth it?
Position‹3 of 3: No, college education isn't worth it
Argument‹4 of 4: Student loan debt is crippling

Student debt is financially and mentally draining. With both the number of those who owe student loan debt and the average debt increasing, many young adults and recent college graduates face multiple financial concerns.

The argument

The average student graduates from university with around $37,000 of debt. A report from LendEDU indicates that roughly 16% of students will have a debt to income ratio (calculated by dividing monthly income by monthly loan repayments) of over 20% upon graduation from college. This is without considering any other debt an individual may have, like credit cards, car payments or a mortgage. This debt is a financial burden and can often be crippling. It also weighs heavily on graduates’ mental health and can cause extreme stress and financial anxiety.

Context

College students graduate with large sums of debt. This takes a financial and psychological toll.

Premises

[P1]The average graduate leaves university with around $37,000 of debt, and roughly 16% face a loan-to-income ratio over 20%—before any credit card, car, or mortgage debt. [P2] This burden can be financially crippling and weighs heavily on graduates' mental health, causing extreme stress and financial anxiety. [C] Therefore, because student loan debt is crippling, college education isn't worth it.

Counter-arguments

Unemployment is even more financially and mentally crippling. College reduces the chance of unemployment and improves job prospects. A college education is worth the debt incurred as it is the lesser of two evils.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Unemployment has worse financial and psychological outcomes.