Borrowing Held Steady As New Federal Loan Caps Arrive Just under half of families (47%) borrowed to pay for college this year, and for 68% of them, borrowing was always part of the plan. Student loans also shaped where students enrolled: 38% of borrowing families said access to loans let them consider a higher-cost school (maybe not the best decision and one worth running through a student loan calculator). At the same time, families broadly agree with the direction of the policy: 66% support limits on federal student borrowing, and 58% believe unlimited federal lending has contributed to rising college costs.