> there are oodles of ways to get a libarts degree without incurring student debt.

For folks who don't know, would you be willing to elaborate? Is it a real degree (fully accredited, so you can actually use it?).

Even using residency status at a community college for your first two years, and then transfering in to a public state university, still puts the cheapest bachlors degree around here at close to $40k (not including room and board). (And for maybe half of the careers, you can't do this, and it costs even more)