COLUMBIA -- Earning a college degree can be costly and can keep some graduates in debt for years.

In fact, new statistics show the number of people defaulting on student loans is rising.

The latest government numbers show a default rate of more than 6.5 percent.  That's up from 5 percent just one year earlier.

Kate Gardella is determined not to be one of those people.  She says it will be tough, but she'll find a way to make the payments.

"It definitely puts more pressure on me trying to get a job right after school rather than going to grad school because I'm going to have the start working to pay off the loans right away," Gardella says.

Students borrow more than $100 billion in federal education loans each year.