Data has shown that in 2011, the amount of credit cards issued to college students has dropped considerably. Whether this is because of a change in spending habits or not, one cannot deny that this is partly or mainly down to the 2009 credit card act that directly affected students seeking to cover their educational expenses through the use of credit cards. In fact, in 2010 there were just over 300,000 fewer credit cards issued to college students which is not only a dramatic drop but also a controversial move for both the lenders and the borrowers involved.

Perhaps one of the most important findings relating to college debt is that debt is still a major problem for college graduates and will be for many years into the future.

However, there is also contradictive data that actually shows that this drop in credit cards being issued to college graduates started well before the act of 2009 and this is may be simply because students arrive on campus with a credit card beforehand. Also, another study that has been carried out actually shows that from the year 2004 to the current day there has been an increase in the amount of students using credit cards to pay for their tuition fees.

Also, other findings showed that over 90% of college undergraduates used credit cards to pay for their textbooks, educational supplies and various other expenses relating to their education which again has seen a sharp increase from the year 2004 up to the present day. Aside from student loans that can be a heavy financial burden on most students, credit card debts are now starting to increase with the average student leaving college with a credit card debt of more than $4000.

In 2012, College fees are set to rise yet again, meaning that tuition fees and the debts that college students burden themselves with will also increase as a result.

Some predictions have been made to state that students of today will be repaying their college debts by the time that their own children reach the age in which they will themselves be moving into further education. This is a worrying and troublesome thought for many young students of today and experts advise that students should not put themselves into a debt that exceeds their annual salary once they find full-time employment. This however, is one of the biggest gambles taken by students today as more often than not, people simply do not know what kind of annual salary bracket they will fall into until they start employment well after their final graduation date.