I graduated college in 1983. Worked and paid my own way. Owed no one a dime. Likewise, didn’t know anyone going on student loans.
Graduated in 83. No offense but you are a dinosaur. I am too I graduated in 88. However the world we went to school in just doesn’t exist anymore. Easy credit and a couple decades have drastically changed the landscape. Tuition has skyrocketed everywhere. Saying you debt free in 83 is like saying you use to buy gas for 50 cents a gallon. Those days are gone forever.
Students used to be able to work their way through college when college was a couple grand per semester. Tuition nowadays is 20 grand and up to 60 grand a year ( undergraduate NOT not graduate school). Part time jobs cannot cover that. Hell full time jobs for kids won’t cover that and allow them time to go to school.
It’s a completely different world now. It’s silly to use 3 1/2 decades old cost to compare.
I took some student loans but paid them off years ago.
Not like today. Tuition has just reached unaffordable levels.
I got accepted at a fairly elite school back in the early 80’s. Tuition at the time was $13,000/year (and I didn’t go because my dad thought that was too expensive).
Undergrad tuition at that same school today is more than $60K.
FReepers don’t want to hear this but once enough of the electorate demand that their loans be forgiven, it IS going to happen.