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Student Loan Choice Overload

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  • Benjamin M. Marx
  • Lesley J. Turner

Abstract

What influences college student borrowing? In a field experiment with a large community college, we send emails about federal student loans to students who have received information about financial aid but have not made a borrowing decision. A treatment reminding students that they need not borrow the maximum amount of available loan aid does not affect borrowing. Treatments referencing amounts borrowed by recent graduates shift students from borrowing the maximum amount to not borrowing. Consistent with the hypothesis that students experience choice overload when observing multiple dollar amounts, the response is largest among low-performing students and arises from inaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin M. Marx & Lesley J. Turner, 2019. "Student Loan Choice Overload," NBER Working Papers 25905, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:25905
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    Cited by:

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    3. Barr, Andrew & Bird, Kelli A. & Castleman, Benjamin L., 2021. "The effect of reduced student loan borrowing on academic performance and default: Evidence from a loan counseling experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid

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