# Substantial School Loan Charts 'Is Student Debt Our Next Bubble?' Will Open Your Eyes By Harris Jay Rosenberg Alterman | Published 2012-04-27 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/student-debt-our-next-bubble References: [holykaw.alltop](http://holykaw.alltop.com/is-student-debt-our-next-bubble-infographic) & [mint](http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/infographic-the-united-states-of-student-debt-042012/) After the housing crisis in 2008, you have to ask yourselves 'Is Student Debt Our Next Bubble?' Student debt used to be considered "good debt" because it was for a good cause, but now the amount that [students have to borrow](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lakefront-finance) is getting out of control. Almost every state has a substantial number of [college graduates in debt](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/little-learners-big-earners), especially in the northeast. The total number of students borrowing money is calculated to be around 37 million people. Some graduate with over $30,000 in debt and as interest builds, it could grow to even more. The worst part about [student loans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/debt-relief-platform) is that it really can begin to run one's life. People end up still paying off loans even when they've entered their forties. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.3/10 - Popularity: 30% | Activity: 2% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Credit Crunch](https://www.trendhunter.com/creditcrunch) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Student Loan Refinancing:** Fintech companies that offer student loan refinancing and consolidation solutions are disrupting the traditional banking industry, providing more affordable alternatives for borrowers. - **Income Share Agreements:** Income share agreements (ISAs) are becoming a popular alternative to traditional student loans, allowing students to pay for their education by pledging a percentage of their future income for a certain amount of time. - **Free Education Programs:** Free education programs are disrupting the traditional higher education industry, providing alternative routes for students to learn and gain career skills without incurring massive student loan debt. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Education:** The education industry can leverage innovative technologies and alternative financing models to address the student loan debt crisis and make higher education more accessible and affordable. - **Fintech:** Fintech companies can disrupt the traditional banking industry by offering more affordable and flexible student loan refinancing and consolidation solutions. - **Career Services:** Career services companies can disrupt the traditional higher education ecosystem by providing alternative routes for students to learn and gain career skills, such as apprenticeship programs, bootcamps, and vocational schools. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Financial Challenges Mobile Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/achieve-good.md) - [Student Finance Management Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/student-manager.md) - [Financial Literacy Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/secret-u.md) - [Comforting Financial Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/experian.md) - [Beer Brand Bursaries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pilsner-tuition-tab.md) - [Debt Relief Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/debt-relief-initiative.md) - [AI Debt Planners](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nodebt-ai.md) - [Connective Student Grad Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/devgrads.md) - [Teen Finance Education](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/simplybudget.md)