My 2 cents: I went to UND, great school, horrible location. I graduated in '00 but back then it was only about $80K. I was able to finish in 3 years and then hired to a regional a few months after I graduated, I was 20 years old. Basically the same story as FlyerJosh has. I now teach part time at a part 61 flight school as well as fly a CE-750. For me I don't think I would do anything different, but times have changed. Take a $25K loan out to buy an instrument Cessna 152. Then go to a part 61 school and find and instructor you really like. Get all of the ratings you can and build time in the C152 while paying off the loan. Also look into doing a lease back with the school, this can help to pay for the insurance and maintenance, with any luck you could come close to breaking even (YMMV). Owning your own airplane also gives you a lot of freedom, no minimum rental time or restrictions on where you can go. Take a long cross country and go camping on a remote Caribbean Island with your significant other, can’t do that at ERAU or UND. You can probably sell the C152 for $25K after you are done, can't do that with a student loan. While doing this go to a college or university and get a business degree or something you can use if you lose your medical. The people here are right time is time, it really disappoints me that UND has you do your private in a C172 G1000, what a waste of money for a com and nav. You can buy a G1000 computer trainer and learn the G1000 for almost nothing; you need to learn how to fly an airplane first. I have people get their private in a C150 with a single radio; it’s the same license as everyone else has. I understand its hard as a young person to get over the shiny new toy thing but if you can it will pay off!