BY HEATHER BRADY

Elizabeth Rock is 23 years old and $59,000 in debt.

The Orange County native who now lives in the Northern Neck racked up thousands of dollars in student loans during the past five years.

She was struggling to earn a degree in business after transferring from Virginia Wesleyan College to the University of Mary Washington and then attempting to finish her degree through Kaplan University, an online college.

But after being dismissed from Kaplan for not completing her degree on time, Rock is stuck with an average-paying job and a mountain of debt.

"I feel like I'll never be able to own anything in my life because I have all this money I have to pay back, and I can't do it," she said.

Across the nation, students who were recently part of the higher education system are struggling to repay their loans, according to a Washington Post article from last week.

The rate of students who defaulted on their student loans within three years of starting repayment has risen from 10 to 11 percent for public colleges, from 7 to 8 percent for private nonprofit colleges and from 21 to 25 percent in relation to for-profit colleges, the Post reported.

This overall increase, which was outlined in a recent report from the Department of Education, shows the effect that national economic troubles have had on graduating seniors.

Rock, who appealed Kaplan's dismissal, was told she could come back and complete 51 credit hours toward her degree in a new program, instead of returning to her old program and finishing the nine credits she has remaining in order to graduate.

Despite wanting to finish her degree, she was unable to do so because she has hit the limit aggregate funding available to her from the federal government.

"Every year that you're in school, the government only gives you a certain amount," Rock said. "By the time I only had 16 credits to take online, I had met my limit."

She isn't in the repayment period yet for her student loans, but Rock said she's worried about paying an amount each month that could equal a second rent. She's also struggling to pay off some of the loans currently accruing interest.