Let’s start with this student loan money quote: “If states had continued to support public higher education at the rate they had in 1980, they would have invested at least an additional $500 billion in their university systems … That’s an amount roughly equal to the outstanding student debt now held by those who enrolled in public colleges and universities.” And following a common theme these days, students who attend the richest schools usually end up graduating with the least debt. From the excellent folks over at The Center for Investigative Reporting: Who Got Rich Off The Student Debt Crisis? College is supposed to be a way to help people get ahead, but millions of Americans are graduating with a degree from I Owe U.

+ And it turns out that these high-priced degrees are more necessary than ever. Here’s The Economist on The Revenge of the Nerds: “In 1972 a university-educated man aged 25-34 could expect to earn 22% more than a peer without a degree … Today that premium has risen to 70%.”