A Decade Review of Research on College Student Financial Behavior and Well-Being

The last decade of research on college student financial wellness was driven by the onset of the “student loan debt crisis.” Prior to the focus on student loans, credit card use and marketing was the primary area of interest for those studying young adult finances on campuses. This paper consolidates the findings reported in twenty papers related to college student finances that were published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues between 2010 and 2019. The work is organized into individual financial behaviors and its antecedents, followed by a summary of studies that study well-being indicators. The reviewed studies address financial behaviors as products of individual and personal characteristics, family relationships and formal socialization processes, and how these factors influence general well-being outcome. Though the approaches vary widely across published studies, each addressed at least one outcome within the socialization model. Credit card and student loan financial behaviors are common factors in determining well-being, their resulting impact on financial or general subjective well-being are mixed at best. The area of research is relatively new and directions for future research are outlined. Studies of emerging adults over time, replication of previous work, consistency in approach to measuring key constructs, and commitment to theoretically based approaches to research will all help to clarify our understanding of college students’ transition to financial independence.