To gain a better understanding of how college students are managing their personal finances and coping with economic volatility, WalletHub conducted a nationally representative survey of current college students. We asked them about everything from how they feel about their financial responsibilities to how they would grade their personal finances. You can find the complete results in the infographic below.
Key Stats
- Worried About AI: 63% of college students say they are worried about AI eliminating their job prospects.
- Borrowing Regrets: 61% of college students regret how much they borrowed with student loans.
- Overwhelmed Financially: More than 7 in 10 college students feel overwhelmed by their financial responsibilities.
- Financial Discipline: Only 1 in 10 college students say they don’t stick to a budget.
- Avoiding Money Talks: Nearly 2 in 5 college students are more comfortable talking with their parents about politics or sex rather than money.
- Unprepared Financially: 46% of college students say their schools have not adequately prepared them for financial independence.
Full Survey & Responses
| Is it worth going into debt for a college education? | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 69% |
| No | 31% |
| Do your parents help pay your credit card bills? | |
| No | 56% |
| Yes | 44% |
| What grade would you give your personal finance? | |
| A | 38% |
| C | 31% |
| B | 25% |
| D | 4% |
| F | 3% |
| Which do you feel most comfortable talking to your parents about: sex, money or politics? | |
| Money | 61% |
| Politics | 31% |
| Sex | 7% |
| How do you feel about your financial future? | |
| Optimistic | 87% |
| Pessimistic | 13% |
| Do you regret how much you borrowed with student loans? | |
| Yes | 61% |
| No | 39% |
| Do you feel overwhelmed by your financial responsibilities? | |
| Yes | 71% |
| No | 29% |
| Have your schools adequately prepared you for financial independence? | |
| Yes | 54% |
| No | 46% |
| Are you worried about AI eliminating your job prospects? | |
| Yes | 63% |
| No | 37% |
| Do you stick to a budget? | |
| Yes | 90% |
| No | 10% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
Survey Methodology
This report reflects the results of a nationally representative online survey of over 200 college students.
After we collected all responses, we normalized the data by age, gender and income so the sample would reflect U.S. demographics.
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