Abstract
This thesis analyzes the relationship between student loan debt and homeownership. Student loan debt is a growing economic and political issue in the United States, due to rising tuition rates. Using the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 2019, 2021 and 2022, this study uses logistic regression models to test the effects of student loan debt at different income and wealth thresholds throughout the lifecycle to estimate the impacts on the probabilities of homeownership. This study also examines how race, and the interaction between race and education, affect homeownership rates. The main finding is that student loan debt has a delaying effect on homeownership when present, and the gap between African American and Caucasian homeownership rate is reduced but not eliminated with more education.