It is a sudden change for the government to spring on college students, one that could have perilous consequences for the country’s future.

The amount of loans students are taking out is on the rise. Last year, for the first time, students took out more than $100 billion in student loans. On average, graduates are leaving school with a record $25,000 in debt, and outstanding student loans are predicted to reach $1 trillion this year — another record.

Although part of that is due to rising tuition rates — which MSU students know a thing or two about following a 6.9 percent tuition increase last year — higher tuition rates can be attributed to decreasing federal and state funding for higher education.

Students also can attribute the rise in interest rates to the sorry state of the federal budget. With more money in loans being taken out than ever before, there’s more money to be made on the loans of students. Increasing interest rates amounts to a windfall for the federal government.

Without that windfall, the alternative to increasing interest rates for all students is cutting funds for the Pell Grant, federal grants for low-income students. Ultimately, this only forces those recipients to take out more government loans to make up for the loss, or make the tough decision to not attend college at all.

If it seems unfair to pit debt relief from one group of students against another, that’s because it is. Paying for higher education is a double-edged sword, and whatever decision the government makes will be a lose-lose situation for college students.

As the only option if students want to get a decent job with a good pay after they graduate, college continues to be a good investment. Taking that into account, the government should not be taking advantage of the fact that college students are going to have to pay for college one way or the other, no matter how expensive it might be.

College, as the premier way of learning enough to encourage developing fields and strengthen the economy, should not be such a burden. However, increasing interest rates and raising tuition costs could discourage some students from attending college at a time when our state and our country can least afford it.

Higher education has been the victim of many cuts from the federal government lately, and increasing these interest rates will only hurt college students and make it more difficult for them to graduate without a pile of debt waiting for them.