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Average College Credit Card Debt Rises With Fees, and Tuition

qadaniels — 2014-01-29 14:11:57 UTC

By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY As college costs soar, students are charging more educational expenses to plastic, helping boost credit card debt to record levels.

A new study to be released Monday by Sallie Mae, a college-financing company, finds that the average undergraduate carried $3,173 in credit card debt last year, the highest level since Sallie Mae began collecting this data in 1998. In 2004, the last time the study was done, students carried an average of $2,169 in card debt.

The higher the grade level, the greater the card debt, according to Sallie Mae. In 2008, college seniors with at least one credit card graduated with an average of $4,138 in card debt, up 44% from 2004. By comparison, freshmen's average credit card debt jumped 27% to $2,038.

The study — which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points — relied on March 2008 credit bureau data, the latest available to Sallie Mae. Because the economy has deteriorated since then, "It's likely that 2009 (card debt) could look a little bit worse," says Marie O'Malley, Sallie Mae's director of consumer research.

The findings come as college costs are surging. In the past 10 years, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges have climbed 50%, to an average of $6,585 a year, according to the College Board.

Lenders are also pulling back on private loans, making it harder for some students to pay for college. Student loans backed by the federal government, however, are still readily available.

Credit cards are the "lender of last resort," says Kalman Chany, president of Campus Consultants, a college funding adviser. "If (students) can't get private loans, they turn to credit cards."

Sallie Mae's research suggests that more students are paying for educational expenses such as books and school supplies with credit cards. And they're doing so more often: In 2008, students charged an average of $2,200 in educational expenses to cards, up 134% from four years earlier.

These findings are unscientific because they're based on a poll — separate from Sallie Mae's analysis of credit bureau data — of 292 private-loan applicants. Nevertheless, the results mirror those of other industry surveys.

"The message is clear," says Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "Students are carrying more debt on credit cards, and more students are paying for education on credit cards."

Quinton Daniels Rachel Watts Sydney Cmeshio

qadaniels — 2014-01-29 14:13:55 UTC

qadaniels — 2014-01-29 14:15:33 UTC

Lenders are pulling back on private loans making it harder for some students to pay for college

qadaniels — 2014-01-29 14:16:12 UTC

"In the past 10 years, tuition and fees at public four year collges have climbed 50%"

srcmehil — 2014-01-29 14:20:11 UTC

Sallie Mae, a college-financing company, finds that the average undergraduate carried $3173 in credit card debt last year, the highest level since 1998.

srcmehil — 2014-01-29 14:21:32 UTC

"the higher the grade level, the greater the card debt

srcmehil — 2014-01-29 14:21:54 UTC

freshman's average credit card debt jumped 27% to $2038

Summary pt.2

qadaniels — 2014-01-29 14:25:35 UTC

Research from many different organizations shows that college costs are rising. The way people are required to pay for college is also changing. Lenders are spending less on private loans which makes paying for college as a student much more of a task. The federal government still continues to have student loans readily available. Students across the nation are beginning to turn to credit cards for funds if they can not get the private loans that were once available. Research from Sallie Mae suggests that "more students are paying for educational expenses such as books and school supplies with credit cards, and they are doing so more often". In a short 4 year term, credit card costs used on things such as educational expenses has climbed 134% to an all time high. These findings however have been proven to be unscientific because they were based on a poll that is separate from Sallie Mae's analysis of credit bureau data. The results found still mirror other results found through different organizations and methods. It is evident that students are going deeper in debt on credit cards, and that more students are using credit cards to pay for educational resources.

Group Opinion on Topic

srcmehil — 2014-01-29 14:26:04 UTC

All in all, our group agreed to the overall message portrayed in the article. College is becoming more and more expensive,

and unfortunately, there is not always money in our pockets to pay for things. Something interesting we found out about in the article,

is that students are accumulating all this debt but it is on educational purposes. Some loans are not approved, or do not give you as much money

as you need, therefore it seems charging books or tuition on a credit card seems like the only option. We think this article really shows the financial

pressures college students go through, and how our options our limited, resorting us to charge money on credit cards. Being college kids, we thought

this article was very appropriate for the financial issues we are facing right now. We unaminously agree with Edmund Mierzwinski in the aspect

that, "students are carrying more debt on credit cards, and more students are paying for education on credit cards." Unfortunately, credit card debt

is not where the problems stop for college students! Not only does debt need to be paid off, but also college loans too. Sometimes it feels as if

it is an ongoing cycle of paying money back, and it can be very stressful for us students. With all this debt, it may seem as if college is too stressful and

not worth all the financial troubles faced, but in reality, it is worth it! Getting a good financial plan involving students, parents, and advisors at the

school is a small step we thought could definitely help students. Yes, credit card debt is something that no college student wants to have to worry

about, and college is getting more expensive. However, it is worth it to receive a college experience and education!

Summary pt.1

2014-01-29 14:33:15 UTC

This article explains that the more costly college gets, the more students are charging expenses to credit cards. Because of this, credit card debt has increased dramatically over the past few years. Since 1998, a college-financing company has been conducting research and collecting credit card debt data from colleges. Just from 2004 to now, credit card debt with college students has increased over $1,000, now making the debt be the highest it has been.

Comparing college freshman to seniors, the older the grade the higher the debt. Seniors have at least double the amount of debt as freshman. However, since data has been collected, it is thought that it is very likely the debt is continually getting worse.

It should be, "...our options ARE limited....."

clorch — 2014-01-30 15:12:13 UTC

You mean "freshmen." (plural)

clorch — 2014-01-30 15:12:58 UTC

Score:

clorch — 2014-01-30 15:13:36 UTC

Required elements: 5

Important points: 5

Grammar and punctuation: 9

Content and organization (writing): 8

Creativity and organization (wall): 4

Overall, this is really great. I really like the article you chose; it's just perfect for this project. I think the flow would be a little better if things didn't overlap, but you did a really good job of being thorough!

31/35