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TORONTO — Many of this year’s new post-secondary graduates have left the academic world carrying tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Meantime, those heading to college and university this fall will soon contend with steep tuition rates that often result in a similar burden.

While schools attempt to lessen the load by offering financial aid, average student debt appears to be climbing. So some institutions are also responding by beefing up their mental health services to help students cope with life in the red.

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“We’re worried about one type of debt — student debt — and we want to know how to pay it off as quickly as possible,” said Dillon Collet, who is about to enter his final year at the University of Toronto’s faculty of law and sat on the dean’s advisory committee on financial aid.

The committee organized a financial aid workshop that discussed the psychology of debt. It was well-attended, Collet said, with about 60 students in the room and a lineup outside.