I am going to voice something that is unpopular. But I don't think that Amercia has that massive of a problem with student loans.
About 69% of students from the Class of 2018 took out student loans, graduating with an average debt balance of $29,800, according to Student Loan Hero.
Yes, that is a lot of money but it is not the life ruining amounts that the media likes to portray. If you budget right it is very possible to pay off. It is only a couple grand more then the average car loan.
I know a lot of people like to point out the 2008 housing bubble and how hard it was but the Boomers did have multiple recessions in the 1970s do deal with.
When I see OP Ed's and other articles focusing on college debt it tends to focus on millennials that are pulling down 100,000 grand a year. I look at the life stlye they live and how they talk about not being able to afford things. But things like multiple subscription services or Plated are mentioned along side with Prime or brand name gluten free food.
I do think millennials are catching on by seeing how migration patterns show people leaving California, New York and New Jersey. The problem is that they also seem to be importing the same poltics that made those places unlivable.
The main real problem is with students that do not graduate and still have a loan payment. They do not have the benefit degree to get a decent job instead are stuck with low paying McJobs. So they have 20 grand in debt and very little way to pay it off.
The other problem is that goverment secured loans have lead to a massive ballooning of college costs. Especially as colleges have to compete with each other. They are forced to offer resort like features to keep competitive. There is also the expanding administration with millions spent on things like Title 9 compliance.
In Amercia there is a sense of college being it own community and that you travel there to find yourself. I know that popular movies like Accpeted like to promote this and decry degree factories but overall a return to people focusing more on getting a degree that will secure them a job instead of find their bliss Eat, Pray, Love stlye.
Greater emphasis on local schools and trade schools as vible options to student in High School could help. But it will take a lot of time and effort since everything post WWII has been go get a four year degree to live the good life. Also reworking or even limits on the amount of goverment backed money may help bring down the cost of college as students will start caring about cost.