Since World War II, homeownership and higher education have been equated with success in America. In the 21st century economy, higher education is more than ever an important gateway to higher social mobility. However, like the American Dream of homeownership that has been shattered by predatory lending, the American Dream of higher education is also threatened with being crushed by ever-increasing student loan debt. After the Great Recession, it is normal to worry about an impending student debt crisis, given the parallels it has with the housing crisis. Not only do both issues arise from inequality and involve huge amounts of loans destined for default, but, more importantly, they lack adequate government intervention. Similar to government policies that have driven unsustainable increases in home prices by encouraging subprime mortgages in an effort to expand homeownership, significant growth in subsidized loans in higher education is pushing up college tuition costs . Higher education is becoming more of a financial burden than an opportunity for a country's self-growth and growth. Just as homeowners were left stuck with the bill following a financial crisis, the federal government is failing to protect college students from the relentlessly rising cost of college tuition. According to Joseph Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University and winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, “the average tuition, room and board at four-year colleges is just under $22,000 a year, compared to less than $9,000 (excluding tuition). inflation) of 2018". 1980-1981.” In an economy that is increasingly dependent on knowledge-based industries, more and more Americans are seeking higher education to move up the economic and… middle of the paper… primary levels. The causes of the housing bubble and the resulting credit crisis: a non-technical document. The Journal of Business Inquiry, 8.1 (2009):120-129. Web.10 March 2014.Lewis, Michael. The big bet: inside the doomsday machine. New York: WW Norton &Company, 2010. Print.NewYorkFed.org. New York Fed Report Shows Households Adding Debt, February 18, 2014. Web.March 10, 2014.Staffordloan.com. Federal Stafford Loan Interest Rates and Fees, 2014. Web. March 10, 2014. Stiglitz, Joseph E. “Student Debt and the Destruction of the American Dream.” New York Times, May 12, 2013. Web. March 10, 2014. Taylor, John B. “How the Government Created the Financial Crisis.” The Wall Street Journal, 2009. Network. March 10, 2014. Wallison, Peter J. “The True Story of the Financial Crisis.” The American Spectator, 2011.Web. March 10 2014.