College students across the nation are being forced to take out more loans than ever, while tuition continues to rise, and federal-aid packages are far from covering the increasing fees.

Student-loan company Nellie Mae reported in a new survey that student borrowers are currently taking out an average of $27,600 in loans per person during their college careers. This number rose almost three-and-a-half times in unadjusted dollars over the past 10 years, according to the survey.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 46 percent of students took out loans, while during 2000, more than 70 percent of students did. The increasing rate at which students are taking out loans does not have a positive correlation with students’ satisfaction with these loans, however.

Specifically, Nellie Mae asked its borrowers a decade ago whether the benefits of their educational debts overshadowed the costs of the loans they were taking out, and nearly 75 percent of these students answered “yes.” However, the tables have since turned.

The number of students who say the positives of their loans outweigh the negatives has decreased to 59 percent. This large fall could essentially serve as a “warning sign,” according to many university officials.

University of Wisconsin professor Alberto Cabrera said he has already seen a number of students drop out of UW due to a building up of excessive debt. He said he was worried this will continue to happen as tuition increases and grants comparatively decrease.

“Many students from middle-income backgrounds are switching to public institutions or choosing to attend two-year universities due to the cost difference,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera also noted the substantial increase in tuition in conjunction with how impossible it has become for students from lower- and middle-income backgrounds to afford these costs at many universities nationwide.

Naomi Siegel, a UW freshman from Grand Rapids, Mich., currently takes out loans to attend UW. Although the time it will take to pay back these loans will be lengthy, she still feels the benefits of the education she is receiving will outweigh the debt she has taken on.

“I just really wanted to come here,” Siegel said. “I knew coming in I was going to graduate with debt.”

The tables have also been turned regarding the relationship between grants and loans. Fewer grants are being awarded to today’s students, and loans are the primary means by which students are making up the lost money. According to the College Board, loans made up just more than 45 percent of financial aid nationwide 10 years ago, while today loans make up approximately 54 percent of aid packages.

According to Nellie Mae, 62 percent of low-income borrowers said they regretted taking out as much as they had, compared with about half of those students who came from families that were too well-off to qualify for federal grants. Similarly, 54 percent of low-income students said the debt paid off in terms of their career goals in the end, while 63 percent of the wealthier students did.

“I know that my parents will help me out,” Siegel said. “So I’ll be paying back loans at a steady rate. It may take me 10 years to do it, but it shouldn’t be too overwhelming.”