How well would that have worked out.
The big uproar is not about students who borrowed $30K for an efficient education.
The uproar is about those that racked up huge amounts of debt to go to a school they could not afford and were unwilling to make sacrifices in lifestyle to keep costs under control.
Right now, the economy is red hot. Anyone that can spell their own name who does not have a criminal record can find a job. That has not always been the case and will not always be the case.
Two of my kids are lawyers. One went all the way through BYU on Church subsidized tuition enabled by all of the tithing I have paid as a member. He graduated with no debt. Job market was terrible, so good that he did not have debt. He was top 15% of his class and had to start out working for a large accounting firm. Job market improved and now he is a practicing attorney.
The other child did not want to leave California and neither did spouse. Got the same help as the brother above, but the cost of law school tuition and books in CA was 4 times the cost of BYU and the cost of living and commuting was higher. Job market was terrible at first. Now it is great. Working as an attorney and spouse with MBA working in management. They make big bucks relatively speaking. But, still saddled with debt from student loans.
I am a landlord. I see this all of the time. People in their late 30s or older, making big bucks, weak credit due to student loans, struggling to get approved to RENT a house.