8 Ways to Stop Student Loans From Ruining Your Life

As tuition and student debt have soared, so has the number of college graduates struggling financially under the weight of hefty school loans. About one in four borrowers is at least a month behind on their federal student-loan payments, the Department of Education reported this summer, and the number of defaulters has jumped by more than 500,000 in the past year, bringing the total number of student loans gone bad to about 7 million. And that’s not even counting the many more borrowers who keep up with their payments but find themselves stretched to make rent, buy groceries, pay everyday bills, or start saving for the future.