Amounts borrowed climbed faster for students from high-income families as well, said the report, from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. The findings don’t indicate those from families of means hold the majority of the country’s $1.5 trillion student loan debt. Students from high-income backgrounds still hold less total debt than other students, in part because they are a relatively small share of total college enrollment. Nor does the report suggest students from high-income backgrounds are more likely to have trouble paying back student loans than those from low-income families. The report is intended to highlight changes in borrowing that may be ignored in other conversations, said its author, Jason Delisle.
