As of 2011, over $1 trillion of our national debt is bound to student loans, surpassing both credit
"By 1982, loans began to outpace grants as the largest form of student "aid," and have since exploded in prominence: as of 2011, over $1 trillion of our national debt is bound to student loans, surpassing both credit card and housing debt."
Source: Mark Miller, "Ending Crippling Student Debt," Solutions (2013): 19.