Private student loans are considered the norm by most Americans but it doesn’t have to be that way. Many countries still offer a free education to those who have the academic ability to pass rigorous entrance exams: Ireland and France both have systems like this. Other countries such as Australia and New Zealand offer generous student allowances to students from poorer backgrounds as well as government funded loans for which no interest is payable until the student graduates. In additional repayments of NZ student loans are tied to the graduates income – so that until they are earning an income at the level of a good grduate salary they also don’t need to repay. In fact I intend to die studying in New Zealand because the student loan there dies wit hthe student and is not passed on to the estate!
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