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The demand for student loans in higher education: A study of preferences and attitudes

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Abstract

This empirical study examined postsecondary-student attitudes and preferences regarding five discrete student loan plans and loan plan features. Certain demographic variables were examined for their relationship to student attitudes toward the various loan plans. The study addressed the following questions: What debt ceiling do students identify as acceptable? Are students willing to indebt themselves over an extended time span? What percent of annual income do they feel reasonably can be applied to loan repayment? Will students alter their repayment plan choices given additional and more detailed information about loan options? A random sample of 218 recipients of federal higher education loans during the 1973–74 academic year was drawn from the population of 6,765 undergraduate borrowers at the University Park Campus of the Pennsylvania State University.

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Brugel, J.F., Johnson, G.P. & Leslie, L.L. The demand for student loans in higher education: A study of preferences and attitudes. Res High Educ 6, 65–83 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992016

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