Student success in higher education, whether in college or graduate school, depends upon appropriate financial support and good financial decisions. Financial support can come in many forms, including fellowships, scholarships, teaching and research assistantships (for graduate students), and federal and private loans.

Student loans are only one part of the financial picture for today’s students. But the growing number of students and families taking on debt to pay for higher education and the growing amount of that debt suggest that debt management skills must be a vital part of the education provided to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students.

The presentation below includes information about the current financial situation of today’s undergraduate and graduate students. The facts assembled here highlight the magnitude of the student debt problem and show the ways in which this debt affects students differently. Trend data illustrate the increasing American reliance on student loan debt to finance higher education and they demonstrate the essential need to enhance student financial education to protect the U.S. economy and society, the research and scholarly enterprise, as well as the lives of individual students and their families.

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Read more: What Do Students Need to Know?