I read this article. Yesterday.

The survey was unscientific and included 292 students taking private loans.

Even today, many students find it unnecessary to use credit cards, or even to take out student loans. Many of them pay their own way using money from part time jobs and living frugally. It can be done.

It's not as if student loans and big credit card balances are mandatory graduation requirements. You don't have to borrow your way through university. In fact, it's possible to graduate from college debt-free, but it does take a lot of work. And you'll have to buck a financial system that all but encourages students to dive into debt. A great way to cut college costs is to attend a community college for two years. Earn your associate's degree at a school close to home and then transfer to a higher profile school in your junior year.

Jon Bell

http://www.emailcharger.com

Hi, Kitty. The study mentioned in the blog post had a much larger sampling than 292 students. I think if you click on some of the links you can find out more about how it was conducted. Thanks.

i am a student in college and i know several people using credit cards to pay for a portion of their schooling.

Never use private student loans!!! They are protected the same as Federal loans. Only death will get you out of repayment. Don't make enough to pay rent and your loans? They'll try to garnish your wages so they get paid.

If you make up the difference with a credit card and after graduation can't afford to pay, bankruptcy will wipe out the debt. Can't get rid of student loans (federal or private) with bankruptcy (Thank you very much for that, U.S. Congress!!!).

Credit cards are great for emergency situations and for small affordable purchases (so you can build credit by making ontime monthly payments). However, throwing two or three thousand on your credit card for school is not only irresponsible, it’s downright foolish. Granted if you can pay off the outsanding balance quickly it’s not really be a big deal, but if you are using your credit card to pay for tuition I am guessing you will not be paying it off quickly.

Jon Bell

http://www.spryka.com

I'm not so sure that I agree with using credit cards to access an education is that dumb.  Aren't student loans supposed to be very difficult if not impossible to discharge in bankruptcy?  Credit cards on the other hand were made to be discharged in bankruptcy, and if the credit card issuers are stupid enough to hand out the cards to students who don't have jobs, or if they do, they don't pay all that much, then why shouldn't some enterprising students decide that once college ends I'll get serious about life and finances, until then its taking the system for a ride and a bankruptcy filing once I land that first job to wipe out the past and get a clean start.

The biggest problem I see with the plan is that students typically don't get a high enough credit limit to pull off using cards to pay tuition.  But if they get that limit, or get enough cards issued to them, and they can pull it off, more power to them.  After all, it is the American way isn't it?

"Even today, many students find it unnecessary to use credit cards, or even to take out student loans. Many of them pay their own way using money from part time jobs and living frugally. It can be done. "

Yeah, right.  I was the only person I knew in my college without student loans and I sure as heck couldn't have done it from a part-time job and living frugally.  Maybe in technical schools?

After reading the post by "J12120", I am completely disquested!  Anyone who would suggest racking up thousands of dollars in debt only to turn around and declare bankrupcy destroying their credit score clearly has absolutely no financial sense.

While I was in college (and for a few years after) I did struggle to live within my means, and did manage to rack up several thousands of dollars in credit card debt.  However, Im proud to declare that I today carry zero credit card debt, and I did it the honest, old fashion "American Way" by tighening my belt and making debt payoff a priority.  Im now in my late twenties and own my own home.  An accomplishment that would not have been possible had I chosen to destroy my credit with a bankrupcy.

I would have loved to get my degree without credit card debt. I worked several jobs, I lived frugally (my car is twenty years old, I have the cheapest slum rental I could find, and we often resort to the food bank for groceries). But I also have three children, my husband has an ok job but it puts us just barely above the poverty line. (Just high enough that 300 dollars in salary seperates us from being able to access thousands of dollars in aid.) So we have debt. We have credit card debt, we have student loan debt. And we intend on paying it back the good old fashioned way, with hard work, several jobs, etc. We knew what it would mean when I went back to school, but we knew that the end result would be a better quality of life for us and our kids (provided I can find a job in this economy.) Someday, we hope to send my husband to school for his degree.