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.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 394-433).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-156). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1983. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-89).

Thesis--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-124). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-217). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-217). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-194). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Paying back student loans is a challenge for many Canadians. Seven female students who belong to the category of the first generation group shared their experience of student loan-debt. Since the amount of financial support is limited or unavailable, student loans are an option for those families who cannot provide financial support for their children to participate in higher education. This thesis deploys the experience of first generation women student loan borrowers as a part of the growing role of finances in higher education. It examines their stories of negotiation and challenges from the perspective of feminist social enquiry. Participants shared their present situation, future planning, and overall experience of taking student loans. Above all, this study attempts to explore those aspects of life of first generation females which are affected through the process of repaying student loans.