The latest numbers on student loans continue a trend of bad news. Outstanding student loan debt is now at $956 billion, an increase of $42 billion since the last quarter according to the  Federal Reserve Bank of New York .  $23 billion is debt that students just took on, and there’s $19 billion in defaults.  The Fed says 11 percent of student loans show delinquency balances of 90+ days.  Experts suggest that is important to try to pay down loans while you are still in school, and attempt to avoid consolidating loans once you graduate.