Going to One of the Top College Football Schools May Not Be a Winning Ticket

So you want to go to one of the “power conference” schools, and share your team to victory for your four years of undergrad. The Student Loan Report has some tough news for you. These number crunching nerds broke down student loan debt by their place in the football conference. With all the bowl games and marching bands, it’s easy to forget that for years of undergrad finance with student loans can leave you with a big ticket – and not to a skybox at the Fiesta Bowl.

ACC: The average debt for student is a smidge over $38,000 at the University of Pittsburgh, but a comparatively light and easy $19,000 at the University of Miami.

SEC: Mississippi State tops out the rankings for student debt with around $29,000, while cheering on the Gators at University of Florida will rack up 21,000 an average debt per borrower.

PAC 12: UCLA is a comparative bargain at an average of $16,300, but USC will stick you with a ticket that is almost $28,000.

Big 10: For a spot at legendary football school Penn State, you will rack up within a sneeze of $36,000 in student loan debt, and might feel that you’re getting off lightly at Northwestern University for only about $23,000.

Big 12: Waving a Cowboys banner at Oklahoma State will get you $24,000 in debt, while Texas Christian University will run you a cool $34,000.

If football is the deciding factor in what school you are choosing to attend, you need to reevaluate your priorities. A college education is an investment, and as much fun it is to party and cheer on your favorite team, you need to take a look at return on that investment of time and debt. Nationally the average student loan debt has edged over $37,000 for the class of 2016, which is up six percent in just a single year. Student loan debt is edging up to nearly $1.5 trillion, and may soon surpass the amount owed on both credit cards and auto loans together. Even more concerning the amount of student debt out there has caused the economy to falter in recovery, with recent graduates paying down debt before embarking on such milestones as marriage, automobile purchases, and buying a home.

Nobody is telling you not to attend a top school, and certainly nobody is recommending that you avoid a more expensive school if it has a path to the degree that you want. However, in order to make a wise decision, you need to consider what happens after graduation, what type of salary you stand to make your chosen profession, versus the amount of loans that you will have to pay off. Long after the bowl games are over and the hype of the draft has passed, you will still have those loans and will need a plan to pay them off. Make that plan before you wind in over your head.