If it's not a joke then I suspect a very large chunk of that debt is from these BS internet colleges, most of which are designed to maximize the amount of (nondischargeable) federally guaranteed student loans their victims can get.
A couple of years ago I contacted one of those online colleges. The nice lady at the college said it was something like $1,3000 - $1,500 per class, and per semester. To take 2 classes would be about $3,000 for one semester.
I told lady that was a terrible price.
Why would I spend close to $3,000 for two online classes, when I could go to the local community college for about $400 - $500.
The lady was pleasant, but could not explain "why" the online course were so expensive.