Charts: Shocking Stats on College Costs

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Wondering if you’ll ever afford it? Check out the last-resort methods our readers turned to to pay for their degrees.

Sticker Shock

Tuition at private and public colleges climbed steadily over the last decade:

Tuition, 2000-2009 (in thousands)

Deeper in Debt

The amount that students owe quintupled between 2000 and 2011.

School vs. Shopping

In 2010, for the first time ever, Americans’ outstanding student loans exceeded their total credit card debt:

Sources: College Board; Mark Kantrowitz, Fastweb.com

Fact:

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Fact:

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