This research used a Web-based survey of students at a Midwest regional university to measure the extent of credit card use by first-year students and seniors. The results indicate that the variables influencing credit card use and the carrying of a balance from one month to the next include the number of cards held by the student, the student's income level, and the presence of educational loans. A significant number of surveyed students at both grade levels are affected by credit card debt, but no specific type of purchases lead to carrying a balance. First-year students and seniors differed significantly in the number of cards they held, the monthly balances they carried, and the ways in which they acquired their cards. Those who acquired their credit cards through on-campus solicitation carried a substantially higher average monthly balance than those students acquiring the cards via other methods. The students' involvement with their parents affected their card balance, but knowledge of interest rates and types of transactions appeared to have no influence. (Contains 3 tables.)