Student debt is a specter over the United States. NYU New York epitomizes the issue by having the most-indebted student body in a country where average student debt rose to $29,400 in 2013, and the majority of those graduating college did so with debt. The university also has one of the highest tuition rates; after other expenses, such as room and board, the total price can be close to $65,000. Student debt between 2008 and 2011 rose at a steady rate of six percent while job markets for graduates continue to look grim.

Alyssa Evans is a former NYUNY student who transferred out after sophomore year because of massive student debt. “I didn’t want to accumulate that much debt; I didn’t want to start my career knowing that I will have to make career choices based on servicing that debt for the rest of my life,” she said.

For many NYUNY students, going to NYU means a choice between the financial strain and attending their dream school. Many of Evans’s friends work multiple jobs during the school year in order to cover the costs of attending NYU.

NYU has proposed a large expansion, NYU 2031, to enlarge the New York campus and purchase land in Manhattan. Some NYUNY students and alumni maintain that the school should be focusing on reducing student debt and increasing financial aid.

Evans expressed this frustration, “Our endowment is not small, but financial aid is ridiculously low.”

Students at NYUAD tend to view student debt as a distant issue that affects mainly students at NYUNY. While a large proportion of NYUAD student receive financial aid, there are students who do not receive full financial aid, and are also incurring debt to attend this university. Because of the sensitive nature of discussing personal finances, a freshman student agreed to speak to The Gazelle contingent upon anonymity.

“The school funds a lot of things, but I have to pay most of my tuition and travel. I am taking out $30,000 in loans every year from the bank. The assumption that everyone here is on a full scholarship is really frustrating. I find it frustrating when people who talk about having three houses are on full scholarship because it doesn’t seem fair.”