American billionaire and former Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban has shared a blunt and strong message for students, advising them not to take on massive debt to pay for college. According to a report by International Business Times (UK), speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, Cuban said, “If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. And the dumbest thing you can do is just take out a s–tload of loans and f–k up your future.” He argued that student loans trap graduates for decades, limiting their ability to save and invest.
Mark Cuban Emphasizes Affordability in College Education
Cuban stressed affordability, recommending that students start their education at a community college before transferring to a school they can afford. “Accounting class is accounting class whether it’s at a community college or at Harvard,” he noted. As per the College Board’s 2025 Trends in College Pricing report, average tuition at public two-year colleges is $4,150 annually, compared to $11,950 at public four-year institutions and $45,000 at private non-profits. Cuban’s strategy could save students tens of thousands of dollars in the first two years alone.
Student Debt on the Rise in the US
Student debt in the US is nearing $1.7 trillion, with the average federal loan balance at $39,000 in 2025. Cuban opined that the inability to discharge student loans in bankruptcy has led to increasing tuition costs. “If everybody could borrow any amount of money and you couldn’t even declare bankruptcy to get rid of it, college prices went up,” he said.
Cuban, who studied at the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Indiana University, said his decision was based on financial sense rather than prestige. He believes the academic content at affordable institutions is largely the same as elite schools, especially for foundational courses. “I learned how to learn. That’s the most important skill,” Cuban told the podcast. “If you know how to learn, and if you love to learn, you will find a way to figure it out.”
