Living on Credit: Trends in Student Borrowing for Non-Tuition Expenses

Despite a robust national conversation about how rising tuition prices contribute to student indebtedness, there has been relatively sparse analysis about the extent to which students’ living costs impact their borrowing decisions. In this session, we will present up-to-date, original research about the share of students who borrow to cover non-tuition expenses, how much they borrow, and how these trends have changed over time. Following an overview of these findings broken down by factors such as student level, race, dependency status, and college sector, an expert panel will discuss the federal and institutional policy implications of students living on credit.