400K is the folks doing things like med school. I doubt the average is anywhere near that. People getting loans for more than just tuition can easily hit 100K, though. IIRC the university I went to, which is a state institution, lists the average cost at about $28K a year including room, board, tuition, books, etc. So if someone wants to pay for the whole thing on loans and not work any kind of part time job, they're going to end up with a mountain of debt.