Financially At-Risk College Students: An Exploratory Investigation of Student Loan Debt and Prioritization of Debt Repayment

College students today face heavy student loan debt that is intensified by the amount of credit card debt they carry. This study provides a profile of financially at-risk students based on their credit card usage behavior. When compared to the non-financially at-risk students, those in the financially at-risk group were found to have higher student loan balances, both currently and expected at graduation. In addition, if forced to prioritize debt repayment after graduation, students in the financially at-risk group indicated they would pay their credit card bills before making their student loan payments.