Media attention to the fallout from the Congress’s last-minute decision to raise the debt ceiling has mostly gone to the downgrade in America's debt rating by credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s. But another potential side effect may have a more direct impact on some American consumers.

As part of the debt compromise, Congress agreed to cut nearly a trillion dollars in spending – and one casualty was federal subsidies for student loans. That means that people interested in borrowing money for higher education may see a higher price tag for that privilege in the near future.

Student Debt & Bankruptcy

So why is an increase in the cost of student loans a big deal? For a few reasons:

• Student debt in the United States has already topped $800 billion and analysts estimate that it will reach $1 trillion by the end of 2011. That’s more than our credit card debt, which was estimated at $793 billion in May 2011.
• The job market has been slow to recover since the recession hit, especially for younger job seekers. Nationally, unemployment is hovering at about 9.1 percent, meaning that finding a job after graduating is tougher than it once was. And the average college graduate hits the job market with about $24,000 in student debt.
• Student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. That means that borrowers are legally obligated to repay their student loans no matter what (though some rare exceptions exist).
• For-profit universities have recently faced new sanctions that require them to meet certain requirements in order for their students to receive federally subsidized student loans. The measure was put in place because of evidence that showed students were borrowing money to pay for these schools that they were unlikely to earn back based on income projections upon graduation.

In other words, educational debt in the U.S. has already proven cause for concern from many consumer advocates. An increase in interest rates will mean an increase in the amount of that debt.

Change to Student Loan Rates

As of now, federally subsidized Stafford loans come with an interest rate of 3.4 percent. What’s more, under the current system, the government covers interest that builds up while a student is actively pursuing her education.

When the debt ceiling-related changes go into effect next year, though, that interest rate will double to 6.8 percent and the interest waiver for active students will disappear. Further, the new law removes certain rate reductions that are currently used to incentivize on-time payment.

Student lending is an interesting sector of the U.S. economy: unlike most other loan products, student loans are offered freely, without much regard for a person’s credit history. Because of this, it’s far too easy for young adults to take on more debt than they realize – and entirely possible that they’ll get in over their heads.