Dourly states the Atlantic:

This chart looks like a mistake, but it’s correct. Student loan debt has grown by 511% over this period. In the first quarter of 1999, just $90 billion in student loans were outstanding. As of the second quarter of 2011, that balance had ballooned to $550 billion.

I just started repaying my student loans a few months ago (on a graduated plan unfortunately), and I am already starting to feel the pinch. As much as I hate to be an alarmist, I fear we have yet to see the worst.