Money. Plain and simple. Most of you are missing the point, the reason we are in the recession today IS because of that mentality. Pay later to MAYBE gain later and HOPEFULLY be able to pay that loan back. IMO, the general acceptance that college loans have to be a part of life or you will never be successful is exactly what got us in this recession. Not only did the prices of everything rise because of this mentality, but now the same applies to all aspects of life. Credit cards, Ridiculous Car loans, Mortgages with no down payment. It all falls under the same category. Irresponsibility. Pay later mentality. Spending more than you can afford, and pushing it further and further out of reach for the future generations because of it. If people didn't become so accepting of credit for every damn aspect of life, I bet you everything out there would be 10 times more affordable today.