A new study shows that students are struggling more and more with student loan debt. Currently, 27 percent of student loan borrowers have past due balances by at least one month, according to new Federal Reserve data of delinquent student loan debt.

This statistic is not in the least bit surprising. Students who currently struggle with student loan debt do so because they follow a pattern: they go to college to get better jobs, then find they may need to further their education at an institution of higher learning in order to get a job that will pay well enough to eliminate their student loan debt in a reasonable amount of time. As a result, they have to take out more loans, which leads to more debt.

The study also took information from Equifax credit reports and found that 15 percent of the United States population has student loan debt and that 40 percent of those under the age of 30 with student loan debt have outstanding student loans of over $20,000 on average.

Furthermore, students need to take out more and more money in loans as tuition prices increase. According to websites like finaid.org and a CBS News report, in the 2011-2012 academic year, college tuition increased at an of average of 4.6 percent at private colleges and universities, while the tuition at public colleges and universities increased on average 8.3 percent. Not only are students required to increase their student loan debt in order to further their education, but they are also required to pay more for increases in the tuition from year to year.

To put it in perspective, the tuition at Connecticut College–a private college in New London, Connecticut–for the 2011-2012 academic year was $54,970. If that increased by 4.6 percent, the cost to attend Connecticut College in the 2012-2013 academic year would be $57,499.

Meanwhile, the tuition at the University of Vermont–a public university in Burlington, Vermont–was $23,418 for a Vermont resident and $41,982 for a student coming from outside of Vermont. If these figures increased by 8.3 percent, it would cost Vermont residents $25,362 for the 2012-2013 academic year, and out-of-state students would pay $45,467 for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Considering all of this, it is not at all shocking that students are taking out more and more loans and are currently struggling with the enormous debts they have amassed. With rising tuition prices and an increasing need for a better degree, Americans are taking out far more loans than they can literally afford.

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The NY Times posted an article in February about a recent trend among college students: getting married to save money on college tuition. It has sparked a heated debate that is still continuing four months later on a number of web sites. The most common objections to this practice are the trampling of the sanctity of marriage, and the loss of ethics. Despite the public interest in debating this topic, it is difficult to find people who are willing to openly discuss their own “paper marriages”.

The people interviewed in the NY Times article refused to be named, and it is for more than simply legal reasons. This article focuses on the legal and ethic ramifications of getting married for lowered tuition, but it ignores the emotions that are often involved in a situation such as this. Different expectations between the bride and groom, family expectations, and criticism from everyone from your friends to your coworkers can make this personal decision fodder for public gossip.

More than just enduring criticism from those around you, there are also the emotional ramifications. Unless you follow the advice of Rick Conley from whypaytuition.com by marrying a complete stranger and securing a prenup that costs thousands of dollars, there is always the danger of someone developing feelings of love or higher expectations than the other. Sure you saved $30,000 in tuition, but now your convenient money-saving technique has backfired. Your friend decides to fall in love with you, while you want to end the marriage as soon as you have your diploma. Even if it is only for financial reasons, getting married is a huge decision, and all possible repercussions should be considered before making this life-changing choice.

As someone who has done it, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, and a lot of unexpected things can happen.

Step back to the summer of 2007. After having to get a high interest loan from a private company to pay for my sophomore year of school, I complained to my ex-boyfriend that unless I got married or had a baby, I was going to end up paying a lot more in school loans than I wanted to. That’s when he suggested that I just go down with him to Las Vegas that winter while he saw his dad for a quick forty dollar ceremony. I wouldn’t even have to tell anyone about it. I agreed and we began to make plans for our winter excursion.

Then in October we got back together, I told my parents about us getting married, and things began to get complicated. My parents pushed for a real ceremony, even though they really wanted me to change my mind. I had started to want a real relationship and a real wedding since we had gotten back together, so I ended up agreeing to the ceremony. My groom dealt with this unpleasant surprise by limiting the guest list to as few people as possible. We spent about $200 total for everything, and got married with about 30 people in attendance.

We stayed with my mother-in-law for the first few months, and then moved into a cheap apartment. The first year we were married was hard on both of us. I wanted our marriage to be real, while he wasn’t ready to commit to staying together. It created a huge discord between us, resulting in tears and hurt feelings. It was only after I learned to not take things so personally, and he decided he really wanted to stay that our marriage began to get better. We were finally together for more than just money or convenience. It was for us, and it was for love.

For all of the pains that we endured, I only ended up getting one $2,000 grant that first year. Because my husband was working full-time at a place that paid $10 an hour, and I was working part-time at Walmart, our income was too high every year after that. If anyone decides to take the plunge and get married, whether it is because you are madly in love with each other, or because you want to get that coveted in-state tuition, make sure to think it over very thoroughly. If you don’t the results could be disastrous.

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