Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are fighting to be best in class on an issue that resonates loudly with young Americans -- runaway student debt.

Days ahead of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary election that kick off the party nomination process, the White House contenders are shopping rival plans that would make college more affordable.

Sanders is pitching a scheme to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, and Clinton is promoting one that would ensure students pay what they can without taking on crippling loans.

"It's important (to address student debt), so I can actually do something with my life," said Selena Alcantara, a 17-year-old freshman at Southern New Hampshire University, who estimates she will graduate $70,000 in the red.

U.S. student debt has surged about 24 percent to around $1.2 trillion since 2012, according to the latest figures from the New York Federal Reserve, leaving many graduates with mortgage-sized tabs before they enter the workforce.

The problem is acute in New Hampshire -- which stages its primary on Feb. 9. There, college debt runs about $33,410 per student, 15 percent above the U.S. average, according to The Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit advocacy group. Only Delaware has a higher figure, at $33,808.

While Sanders is leading Clinton in New Hampshire polls, they are in a dead heat in Iowa.
Nationwide, Clinton has an edge with support from 55 percent of her party compared to 36 percent for Sanders, in the fight to win the party nomination for the November election. But voters aged 18-49, most likely to be affected by student debt, are nearly evenly split between the two, according to recent polls.

Democratic candidates have targeted the issue of student debt more aggressively than their Republican counterparts. Donald Trump and rival Ted Cruz, for example have not issued formal proposals on the subject.

Tuition-Free Versus Debt-Free   

Sanders, who polls show is the favorite to win New Hampshire, has a plan that would make all state colleges and universities tuition-free, a $75 billion per year project that his campaign says would be funded by a tax on Wall Street speculation.

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