VETDEBT: An analysis of U.S. student Veteran credit card use while enrolled in U.S. post-secondary education

Abstract: Introduction: This explorative quantitative study examined the debt levels of U.S. student Veterans after completing a bachelor’s degree. Methods: This study measured the average credit card debt of Veterans while taking into consideration gender, race, age, and Veteran status. A linear regression was conducted to identify credit card debt using the 2016–2017 Baccalaureate and Beyond public dataset. Results: The authors found that non-student Veterans had less credit card debt than did student Veterans while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Discussion: The cost of obtaining a bachelor’s degree for U.S. student Veterans should be covered exclusively by the GI Bill. This study also lays the foundation for future research surrounding the motivation behind student Veteran debt.