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 The increase in the rate of borrowing since 1993 has been much
greater among graduates from wealthier families, the review by the
Pew Research Center said.
"What has changed over the course of roughly two decades ... is the
pervasiveness of student borrowing across income groups," it said.
Sixty-nine percent of students who graduated in 2012 borrowed money
to finance their education, up from 49 percent for graduates in
1993, according to the analysis based on Education Department data.
The median amount of debt for undergraduate education also rose to
$26,885 for the class of 2012 graduates from $12,434 for graduates
in 1993.
 The record figures come as overall outstanding student loans total
about $1.1 trillion, and young adults continue to face higher levels
of unemployment than other groups following the 2007-2009 recession.
Half of the 2012 graduates from wealthier families with incomes of
$125,700 or more borrowed money for college, double the share that
borrowed in the academic year ending in 1993.
Among graduates from families with incomes from $83,000 to $125,700,
62 percent left college with debt in 2012, up from 34 percent two
decades before.
As in 1993, graduates from low-income families making below $44,000
were more likely to take out loans, with 77 percent graduating with
debt in 2012.
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The increase in debt by students from higher-income families may be
caused by changes in eligibility standards that made it easier for
them to qualify for federal loans, economic stress from the
recession and the loss of other sources of borrowing, such as from
home equity, the report said.
Female graduates are somewhat more likely than males to have
borrowed money, at 71 percent versus 67 percent. In 1993, women and
men were roughly even, at 49 percent to 50 percent.
The increase may stem from women college students tending to come
from poorer families than men, the report said.
Overall new borrowing by students has risen more than fourfold in
the last 20 years, reaching $110 billion in the 2012-2013 academic
year, the analysis said.
The rise has coincided with a 62 percent increase in the number of
students in college, to almost 16 million in 2012-2013.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Susan Heavey)
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