Students have many questions about their money, debt and loans. ‘Loan and credit card debt will affect students’ lifestyles after graduation,’ said Diane Saunders, vice president of Communications and Public Affairs at Nellie Mae, the nation’s largest non-profit provider of student loans.The average college student’s debt has more than doubled since 1991 as a result of declining educational grants and the increased cost of tuition, according to a national study by Nellie Mae. Nationwide, 76 percent of college graduates believe student loans gave them access to higher education.’The choice is: borrow money – go to school, don’t borrow money – don’t go to school,’ said Michael T. Herres, a senior in electrical engineering.According to the study, almost 60 percent of today’s college students finance their education. This year, about 20,000 undergraduate students received a student loan at OSU, said Natala Hart, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid. The average OSU undergraduate student who borrowed money will be about $12,000 in debt upon graduation, Hart said. For graduate students, the additional debt averages about $18,000. About 10 percent of borrowers default on their student loans in Ohio, said Richard Johnston, executive vice president of Great Lakes Guaranty Corp.About 6 percent of loan borrowers default at OSU, Hart said.OSU is currently conducting a survey to determine why students default on their loans, she said. The hope is to develop programs that will help current students with debt management and prevent future defaults.’We would like to see a zero percent default rate because a default is such a negative to any student’s record,’ Hart said. ‘If a former student isn’t paying on their loans, then they are not succeeding in life.’Some people with experience in student loans offered advice on debt management.’Don’t borrow more over your college career than what your starting annual salary will be when you get out of school,’ Saunders said.If you have multiple loans from multiple institutions, start the loan consolidation process before graduation, Hart said.’Like most problems in life, loan problems are easier to prevent than to remedy after a problem has arisen,’ she said.