Perhaps the worst loss is the loss of opportunity. I will graduate in august and will go on to work for a startup. This is something I would never have done if I was in debt, opting instead for a better paid jobs with benefits.<p>I'm from Belgium, and my whole tuition (5 years, master's degree) cost me less than 1k euros per year. Education in Belgium is usually considered to be as good as in the US - or even better, depending on who you ask ;) (Funny fact, if you do an exchange with a transfer or credits, a few points are automatically shed off all grades obtained in the US.)