According to College Board the average cost of attending a four-year college course in the U.S. has risen an astounding 41% in the last decade. A freshman going off to college this fall can expect to pay an average of $42,419 per year at a private university, $32,762 per year as an out-of-state student at a public university, or $18,943 at an in-state public university. Multiply those figures by four years and the average student with no outside financial help will have between $76,000 and $168,000 of student debt when they graduate.
