Advanced Degrees of Debt: Analyzing the Patterns and Determinants of Graduate Student Borrowing

Abstract

Despite record student debt and the growing importance of graduate education, little is known about what drives graduate student borrowing. In response to that research gap, this study draws on several national data sources to analyze the patterns and predictors of education-related debt among graduate students specifically. Adjusted Wald tests show that borrowing among graduate students has increased in recent years, particularly at the master’s and doctoral level, while multilevel tobit analysis suggests that several demographic, disciplinerelated, and institution-level variables exert significant influence on cumulative graduate debt.

What's Money Got to Do with It? An Examination of the Relationships between Sources of Financial Support and the Post-Graduation Career Plans of Latina and Latino Doctoral Students in the Social Sciences

“…Graduate students are increasingly relying on loans and accumulating greater levels of debt to finance doctoral studies (e.g., Belasco, Trivette, & Webber, 2014;Wendler et al, 2012). Few scholars have examined the relationship between graduate student loans and post-graduation plans.…”

Is undergraduate debt an impediment to postgraduate enrolment in England?

“…Belasco et al . () report mean graduate borrowing of $31,000 for master's degree recipients, $56,000 for doctoral graduates and almost $90,000 for first‐professional graduate degrees. They show a range of factors as associated with accrued graduate debt, although they lack a direct measure of financial means or socio‐economic background.…”

Surveying the Measurement Profession to Assist Recruiting in the United States

“…There is preliminary evidence to suggest that students who acquire more debt while an undergraduate, particularly in African American communities, are less likely to enroll in graduate school (Chen & Bahr, 2020), despite their higher aspirations to attend graduate education (English & Umbach, 2016). Of particular concern for these students is the potential for additional debt in master's and doctoral education (Belasco, Trivette, & Webber, 2014). To provide relief, programs may offer graduate assistantships (GAs) that cover tuition and/or provide a modest stipend.…”

“…This requires surveying current information about jobs, compensation, demographics, and other key characteristics. Three surveys of program and employment opportunities in measurement have been published (Brennan & Plake, 1991; Packman et al., 2010; Patelis et al., 1997), the most recent of which included 2007 survey results summarizing the educational background, workplace characteristics, and compensation of employees in the field. Although each is informative about the current state of the field, the general purpose was not for recruitment.…”