Student Loans Setting Millennials Back

Fifty-six percent of Millennials with current or past student debt are delaying major life events, compared with 43% of older adults, Bankrate.com found in a survey. The most common milestone they are postponing is buying a house, closely followed by saving for retirement and buying a car.

While student loan debt has hit Millennials the hardest in terms of delaying major life events, Bankrate learned that while 28% of 18- to 29-year-olds have ever carried student loan debt, 41% of 30- to 49-year-olds have done so.

“Student debt is often portrayed as a Millennial issue, but the truth is that Americans of all ages have put their lives on hold due to student debt,” says Steve Pounds, an analyst with Bankrate.com. “Delaying major life milestones such as buying a home or saving for retirement doesn’t only affect the individual and his or her family. It also has ill effects on the overall economy.”

More than half of all student loan borrowers said they were not warned about the financial risks of taking on education loans. This jumps to 66% among Millennials.

The release of Bankrate.com’s survey comes on the heels of the ninth annual College Savings Foundation State of College Savings Survey, which found that one-third of parents are still shouldering student debt, prompting 51% of them to save in a 529 college savings plan or other vehicle to help their children avoid taking on loans.

Princeton Survey Research Associates International conducted the survey of 1,000 adults by landlines and cell phones from July 9 to 12 on behalf of Bankrate.com. The full results of the survey can be seen here.