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One Out of Five Owe Student Debt - Federal Stafford student loans doubled on July 1, 2013, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, after Congress failed to extend a 2007 law that previously cut rates. African-American students and bachelor degree holders have acquired student debt at higher rates than other race groups. Read more about how African-Americans are being affected by this ball and chain on economic prosperity. Facts are compiled from Pew Research Center and College Board. – Natelege Whaley  Nineteen percent of the nation’s households owed student debt in 2010. This is a significant rise from the 15 percent that owed in 2007, according to a Pew Research Center. (Photo: GettyImages) 

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Debt Rises as More Black Students Enroll in College - There has been a 108.5 percent jump in African-American male enrollment, according to recent data analyzed by Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., of Howard University. Enrollment for African-American women is 24 percent higher than African-American men, according to research by the UNCF College Fund. By fall 2010, 21.0 million students were pursuing college, a 15 percent increase. (Photo: GettyImages) 

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Black Bachelors Degree Holders Have High Debt - High debt levels are more common among Black bachelor’s degree holders compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Twenty-seven percent of 2007-08 Black bachelor’s degree recipients borrowed $30,500 or more, compared to 16 percent of whites, 14 percent of Hispanics/Latinos and 9 percent of Asians, according to a College Board study.(Photo: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Income for Black Students Does Not Change Disparities  - Within each income bracket, the percentage of Black graduates with high debt is highest. Black students of public four-year universities and whose parents’ incomes are less than $30,000 held 16 percent of debt. While white students in the same bracket held only 8 percent. (Photo: GettyImages)

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Average Student Loan for Blacks: $30,000 - Among student debt of African-Americans, the average outstanding federal student loan balance was $30,000 in 2010, compared to $18,000 for whites and $22,400 for Hispanics in 2010. (Photo: GettyImages)

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Households Run by Those 35 and Under Have Most Debt - Forty percent of all households headed by someone younger than age 35 owe debt, the highest share among any age group. (Photo: GettyImages)

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Shared Debt Is Increasing - More households owe shared debt. In 2007, 10 percent of student debtor households owed more than $54,238. By 2010, 10 percent of student debtor households owed more than $61,894. (Photo: GettyImages)

Photo By Photo: Neil Overy/ Getty Images

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Student Debt Is a Quarter of Income for Those Earning Least - Outstanding student debt was nearly a quarter of the income of the lowest fifth of households. But households in the top 9 percent of household income owed only seven cents of student debt for every dollar of household income received.(Photo: GettyImages)

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Ability to Pay Off Student Debt Has Decreased - Due to the economic downturn, households are losing their ability to pay off debt. Nationally, households had six cents of outstanding student debt for every dollar of income received in 2010. (Photo: GettyImages)

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Lots of Black Undergrads With Debt  - Among African-American students, 81 percent complete their undergrad education saddled with debt. (Photo: REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco)