There has been a proliferation of student loan debt over the past decade. The indebtedness that students incur while attending college reduces their discretionary income once they enter repayment after graduation. For graduates, there is an opportunity cost along with personal and professional life decisions being made based on this debt. For example, some students are choosing the enter the workforce after obtaining their undergraduate degree instead of pursuing a graduate degree. The purpose of this study was to examine the decisions that currently enrolled undergraduate students are making about obtaining student loans based on information supplied to them about their current indebtedness. This study utilized a quantitative, cross sectional research design that looked at students who were given a letter that detailed their current outstanding loan debt. The study then reviewed what decisions the student made about securing future federal subsidized and unsubsidized student loan amounts, and if they decided to decrease their borrowing amounts. A paired sample t-test was used to determine if there was a statistical difference between what students borrowed. The results of this study concluded that students borrowed less as a percentage of their total available loan funds after receiving the informational debt letter. Furthermore, this study showed the importance of educating students about their current level of indebtedness before they secure future student loans.

The need for financial literacy among Americans has become a national topic of interest. Economists, financial professionals, educators, and government officials recognize there is an overall deficit of financial knowledge. More specifically, higher education administrators have become increasingly concerned with ensuring that financial literacy tools are available to college students. Students of today face higher tuition and education-related costs, are less likely to receive grant funding to assist with their educational expenses, and are more likely to be in debt, carrying higher student debt loads than previous generations. Further, students lack the financial knowledge needed to make sound financial decisions. Hence, there is a need for effective financial literacy programs at post-secondary institutions. The purpose of this dissertation in practice (DIP) is to design a comprehensive financial literacy program model for students attending large diverse higher education institutions similar to the University of Central Florida.

Modern theories of economic growth emphasize the role of research and development (R&D) activities in determining a society's standard of living. In some advanced economies, however, higher education costs and the level of indebtedness among graduates have increased dramatically during recent years. Student loans are evident throughout the Western world, particularly in the United States, and within the bio-medical sciences. In this paper the authors develop a basic model of economic growth in order to investi-gate the effects of biomedical graduates indebtedness on the allocation of human re-source in the R&D activities, and thus on the process of economic growth. Using this modified model to understand the consequences of the rising cost in biomedical educa-tion, we derive a 'science-growth curve' (a relation between the share of pure researcher and the economy rate of growth), and we find two possible effects of biomedical stu-dent indebtedness on economic growth: specifically, a composition effect and a productivity effect. First, we outline the Romer's classical growth model, and we apply it to a 'biomedical' knowledge-based economy, and second, the model is developed by factoring the difference between pure and applied biomedical research. The 'biomedical science sector' is one of the key pillars of modern knowledge-based economy. The costs of higher education in biomedical sciences and the graduates level of indebtedness represent, not only a great problem of equality of opportunity, but also a serious threat to future prosperity of the advanced economies.

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The rising costs of college attendance and changes in financial aid packages leave students with little option other than to incur a debt of some amount. Unfortunately, colleges often fail to provide adequate financial literacy and student loan information so prospective students planning to attend college can make informed decisions. Student loans may seem attractive in the short term because, unlike other loans, repayment does not begin immediately. However, the accrual of student loan debt leads to long-term financial consequences, including the opportunity to build economic wealth after graduation. Utilizing a basic qualitative research design, I explored first-generation community college students’ experiences with financial aid, financial literacy, and the challenges and individual circumstances of using student loans to fund expenses related to their postsecondary enrollment. A human capital framework supported students informed financial decision-making experiences to effectively persist confidently in pursuing their educational goals. Collectively, students’ detailed statements provided a powerful voice for first-generation students accessing financial resources at the community college. The six themes included (a) Student-Centered, (b) Understanding Consequences of Student Loans, (c) Development of Financial Aid Literacy, (d) Student-Connection, (e) Simplifying Financial Aid Access for Students, and (f) Support From Campus-Based Programs. Findings provide helpful insights for community college practitioners and financial aid administrators.