Read an article just the other day....couple, late 30s- mid-40s IIRC, $335K debt, 200 of it his, balance hers. His field of study and expertise...for $200K that they'd like to have forgiven???.....  Tuba performance! Where on the face of the Earth is a musical organization capable of paying a tuba player that sort of salary? 

A portion, and I'm beginning to think a big portion, of this student debt mess is the fact that no one is holding these students accountable for loan repayment planning at the outset. When we need to borrow money on the farm, we must present a business plan and repayment capabilities to the lender.  We don't get a dime till they have a clue how we intend to pay it back. No one is apparently holding the students' feet to the fire on repayment plan. Are they seeking a career with the earning potential to repay the loan in a timely manner....sometime before they qualify for social security? Will they be able to support themselves and/or a family while also servicing this debt? I'm afraid it's a racket not unlike loan sharking, and nobody at home is willing or able to help their college-applying kids do the maths.