There’s a reason college students are willing to rack up mountains of debt to finance an education. The national average annual salary for a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree is $57,026, compared to just $34,197 for someone with only a high school diploma. But while that college degree might open the door to a host of money-making opportunities, if you need to borrow a boatload of cash to obtain it, you could wind up suffering the consequences for many years to come.