Education angst is growing among 18- to 34-year-olds

The level of financial stress is gradually decreasing over all since the great recession, as one would expect. This is according to surveys from both the American Psychological Association and Creditcards.com. But according to new data from the latter, the one exception is anxiety over educational expenses.

“Worries about education expenses are growing like crazy,” says Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst at Creditcards.com. Especially among 18- to 34-year-olds. They are now the largest generation in the workforce and they’re one reason why borrowing peaked during the recession as people took refuge in education. That debt is coming due.  

And it’s not just debt over tuition that has young people (and their parents) worried. 

“The sticker price [of tuition] is paid by relatively few people,” says Amy Ellen Schwartz, Director of the Institute for Education and Social Policy at NYU. “Most people pay a lot less.”

The majority of undergraduates borrow less than $10,000, according to the College Board. 

Schwartz says the bigger worry may be that their entire college investment won’t pay off in a good job.