Are American colleges a ripoff?

People would rather put themselves through 4 years of financial hell to get to the rest of their life with financial stability. The loans do not take that long to pay off as long as you follow the payment plan. If you follow the plan then the longest it will take to pay off the loans is ten years. An education is well worth it since this is the only time in your life when you can devote 4 consecutive years to studying. They are definitely not a ripoff, because getting your degree shows, for the most part, that you are a dedicated and hard-working individual.