Transferring the Cost of Higher Education To Students and Families: Who Bears the Greatest Burden?

The statistical results of this study confirm what many in the popular media have been saying. The greatest burden of the increasing level of student debt is falling on middle class families. In addition to income differences, we also find that that there are gender, race and ethnic differences in the burden of student debt. Specifically, these results suggest that the rising burden of student debt will disproportionately fall on females and African Americans. We also find that non-traditional students (older, independent/not living with family of origin, and having their own children) had higher propensity to have debt after college than more traditional college students, although being married tends to neutralize this effect