Debate increasing on student aid

Today, he has that degree, but it came at a cost of more than $80,000 in student loans. Graduating last year into a down economy, the job he has now doesn’t have much to do with what he studied.

Pontiff’s predicament is one faced by a growing number of students, according to new research from the College Board, the organization that runs the SAT and other college-prep tests. About 17 percent of students nationally are taking on student-loan debt of more than $30,500, more than they may be able to repay in full.

Pontiff, who expects to be paying his loans for as long as 30 years, says he wants to share his story so others can learn from it.

“I just assumed that because it was a school loan everything was going to be OK, the payments were going to be reasonable,” said Pontiff, 28, who now lives in Baton Rouge and works as a salesman for a computer company. “I went to school to better myself, and I feel like I’m not in a better position.”