PITTSFIELD, MA- "I don't have a credit card. I will not have a credit card, at least for a while. I'm just starting out and I don't really want to deal with that," said Berkshire Community College student Amy Dellea.

She may be trying to avoid credit card debt, but most students her age are wracking it up. That's according to a nationwide survey released by MASSPIRG that says the credit companies are targeting students and turning them into unsuspecting victims.

"A lot of times students, especially, don't know about the terms and conditions. The terms often change without fair notice to consumers," said MASSPIRG campus coordinator Tracie Konopinski.

It's an unfair practice that's causing some colleges and universities to say no to the credit crunch altogether.

"We have a policy that we think is pretty progressive in this regard. We have a non-solicitation policy. So you will not see credit card solicitation going on on campus," said Berkshire Community College Dean of Student affairs Michael Bullock.

Some students at the college say that one of the ways the credit card companies are taking advantage of them is by not fully disclosing their interest rates. That has them feeling taken advantage of, but more importantly, wracking up debt.

"It's definitely misleading. The interest rates are out of control," said Berkshire Community College student Norah Bresnahan.

"The lending institutions who come here on campus, their interest rates are 29.99 percent and students don't know that and they end up with huge debts," said Dellea.

It's a nationwide problem and it's not just affecting students.

"The credit card companies sort of zone in not just on students, but on other vulnerable constituents and take advantage of them. They don't know the whole truth behind credit," said Konopinski.

That's a truth some are finding out about the hard way.