Student loans are no surprise to college students, though the longevity of their debt may be. Studies show adults age 50 and older now carry 20 percent of the nation’s student loan debt.

With the rising cost of tuition and high interest rates, students may find themselves in a bind – and may be influencing the national economy in the process.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently published findings that senior citizens in America owe upward of $36 billion in student loans. Often, this debt is accrued as a result of extended schooling, returning to school or cosigning loans.

Many older adults hoping for a competitive edge will apply for loans to afford graduate school, only to find out the job market is still weak. Other older Americans may act as cosigners for grandchildren’s loans, then find that their grandchildren cannot afford loan payments or find jobs. In these situations, both students and grandparents may find themselves facing bankruptcy without any end in sight.

College students often think of these eventualities as worst-case scenarios, even though the probability increases with each passing year. Many recognize their vulnerabilities and choose to plan around them.

“I don’t find myself scared of debt, but I am extremely cautious,” said Nate Sabo of DeSales University in Pennsylvania. “I’ve thought about being a cop rather than going to grad school out of interest to [sic] keep from being in debt for the rest of my life.”

These choices are particularly difficult for students who choose to attend graduate school in order to advance their career, such as students who aspire to become lawyers or medical professionals. Because these paths are nearly guaranteed to involve some level of graduate school, these students must either take out loans or settle for a job that has little to do with their majors. Often, these same students go back to school later in life and add to the older American student debt.

“It’s awful to have the debt and loans considering the interest rates are going to keep going up, so you’re just going to have to pay more and more,” said Michelle Hannon ’14. “There is a real fear that you’re going to be in debt your whole life … You’re either affluent or you go to a school you can afford.”

Of course, many students would like to avoid this problem.

“Students aren’t reaching their full potential just because of money, which is a shame,” said Sabo.

Students are not the only ones facing major problems with increasing student debt. Some financial analysts fear there is a student loan bubble forming, much like the housing bubble. If this student loan bubble bursts, the economy could take another serious hit.

For now, some argue that students will simply have to choose between stability and risky success and that, though students are unsure of their futures, there will be no clear answer for some time.