Attending college in the United States comes at a price.
In-state students enrolled at public four-year universities pay an average of $20,090 per year, including tuition, fees and room and board, according to College Board. That increases to $34,220 for out-of-state students.
Tuition and fees alone come at a hefty cost: Nearly $10,000 for in-state students at public universities.
To make college possible, over 44 million Americans turn to student loans, bringing the cumulative debt in the country to $1.4 trillion and growing. And it doesn't help that interest rates are continuing to climb as well.
All this makes going to school abroad seem that much more enticing.

And, sure enough, in many affluent Western countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden, tuition is much cheaper, or even free.
Educational resources site Student Loan Report compared the cost of college in 25 countries around the world to show where the U.S. stands in terms of price. The outlook isn't great: In only one country analyzed, the United Kingdom, is the average annual tuition comparable to the U.S.
Average debt per student, however, is still significantly higher in the U.S. ($37,172) than in the U.K. ($30,800).
America does hold certain advantages, however. The U.S. boasts an annual per capita income of around $56,000 per year, much higher than in places such as China, South Africa and South Korea.
Check out Student Loan Report's full infographic below. (Click to enlarge.)
Be sure to read up on the 10 U.S. colleges where students graduate with the least amount of debt and what happens if you don't pay back your student loans.
Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook!
Don't miss:
