How the US student loan debt crisis started — and how it could end

The $1.7tn debt has become a hot political issues as midterm elections approach

America's students have a debt problem. A big one. More than 45 million Americans - more than the population of California - now owe a collective $1.7tn in student debt.

The vast majority of the money is owed to the federal government, which has been backing or directly offering student loans for higher education since 1958. While student loans are not new in the United States, the amount of student debt has more than tripled over the last 16 years.