{"title":"Attitudes of college seniors toward graduate student loan debt: the role of financial education","authors":"Manuel Salas-Velasco","doi":"10.1108/jfep-09-2023-0259","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\n<p>This paper aims to examine prospective graduate students' attitudes toward educational loan borrowing in an experimental setting.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\n<p>Participants were randomly assigned to two treatment groups and one control group. Subjects in experimental group 1 received financial education: a short online course on the economic viability of getting a master's degree and how to finance it with a graduate student loan, while subjects in experimental group 2 received financial education along with information on the availability bias.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Findings</h3>\n<p>Relying on a control group in the assessment of financial literacy education intervention impacts, this research finds positive causal treatment effects on individuals’ attitudes toward debt-financed graduate education. In comparison to the control group, experimental subjects perceived the possibility of going into debt with a graduate loan to complete a master’s degree as less stressful and worrying.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Practical implications</h3>\n<p>This study has important educational policy implications to prevent students from stopping investing in human capital by perceiving educational loan debt as something stressful or worrying. The results can help potential (and current) grad students develop a feasible financial plan for graduate school by encouraging higher education institutions to implement educational loan information and financial education into university seminar courses for better graduate student loan decision-making.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Originality/value</h3>\n<p>Student attitudes toward debt have been analyzed in the context of higher education, but only a few researchers internationally have used an experimental design to study personal financial decision-making.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":45556,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Financial Economic Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Financial Economic Policy","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jfep-09-2023-0259","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine prospective graduate students' attitudes toward educational loan borrowing in an experimental setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were randomly assigned to two treatment groups and one control group. Subjects in experimental group 1 received financial education: a short online course on the economic viability of getting a master's degree and how to finance it with a graduate student loan, while subjects in experimental group 2 received financial education along with information on the availability bias.
Findings
Relying on a control group in the assessment of financial literacy education intervention impacts, this research finds positive causal treatment effects on individuals’ attitudes toward debt-financed graduate education. In comparison to the control group, experimental subjects perceived the possibility of going into debt with a graduate loan to complete a master’s degree as less stressful and worrying.
Practical implications
This study has important educational policy implications to prevent students from stopping investing in human capital by perceiving educational loan debt as something stressful or worrying. The results can help potential (and current) grad students develop a feasible financial plan for graduate school by encouraging higher education institutions to implement educational loan information and financial education into university seminar courses for better graduate student loan decision-making.
Originality/value
Student attitudes toward debt have been analyzed in the context of higher education, but only a few researchers internationally have used an experimental design to study personal financial decision-making.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Financial Economic Policy publishes high quality peer reviewed research on financial economic policy issues. The journal is devoted to the advancement of the understanding of the entire spectrum of financial policy and control issues and their interactions to economic phenomena. Economic and financial phenomena involve complex trade-offs and linkages between various types of risk factors and variables of interest to policy makers and market participants alike. Market participants such as economic policy makers, regulators, banking and competition supervisors, corporations and financial institutions, require timely and robust answers to the contemporary and emerging policy questions. In turn, such answers require thorough input by the academics, policy makers and practitioners alike. The Journal of Financial Economic Policy provides the forum to satisfy this need. The journal publishes and invites concise papers to enable a prompt response to current and emerging policy affairs.
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