Majoring in Plastic

She works part time at the Gap, earning $7.75 an hour. Most of that goes toward her credit card bills. So far, she has not made any late payments, but she said she feels overwhelmed and might get a second job. "I'm learning my lesson," she said. "After I pay these off, I don't plan on getting more. They're awful."

She has yet to tell her parents, who live in Annapolis, about her debt. "I don't want them to think I'm irresponsible. They'll only get mad," she said.

Card companies argue that college students are adults and therefore have a right to credit. For the most part, industry experts say, they are no less responsible than the average adult.

In a survey of 1,200 full-time undergraduates conducted last month on 100 campuses, the marketing research firm Student Monitor found that the percentage of students with a credit card in their own name had decreased, from 46 percent in 2004 to 35 percent this year. Of those who have cards, 63 percent said they pay their balance in full each month. The 37 percent who do not carried an average balance of $452, a decrease from last year, the report said. Students had more student loan debt than credit card debt, the study pointed out.

Both the U.S. PIRG and Student Monitor surveys found that about a quarter of the students had been charged a late fee at some point.

"To me, the bigger issue is more about financial education," said Kenneth J. Clayton, senior vice president for card policy at the American Bankers Association. "These are the same people who can die for their country, but you're going to tell them they can't have a credit card?"

Consumer advocates and financial advisers agree that education is key and that the onus should be on parents, educators and the card companies to help students become smarter consumers. But the students themselves, they argue, should also do their part.

"Frequently, [students] don't have an understanding of both the rights and obligations of credit cards," said Susan Coleman, a finance professor at the University of Hartford. "Young adults and their parents need to take steps to educate themselves about the uses of debit and credit cards so they can be informed consumers."

Elser, a sophomore business administration major at George Washington University, said he considers himself informed. "I think once you hit 18, you're old enough to make your own decisions and you should absolutely be able to sign up for a credit card," he said.

He said that he has never missed a payment on his Visa card and that he always pays more than the minimum. (But he would have to pay interest on any unpaid balances.) He did not choose his card based on a marketing gimmick. Instead, he applied for one at his parents' bank before he went to college. Now, after that trip to Mexico, he has a balance of slightly more than $1,500, but his mother plans to help him pay it off. He has scaled back on his spending, eating out less and doing no unnecessary shopping. "I always have a plan for how I'm going to pay for it," he said.

Many schools are incorporating financial literacy into their curricula or freshman orientation. At George Mason University, for example, freshmen are required to take Mason 101, a course on handling college life that includes a lesson on credit cards. At Trinity Washington University, students go through a session on credit cards during freshman orientation, then again later in the year. The school also sends students e-mails advising them on good financial behavior, said spokeswoman Ann Pauley.

Credit card issuers said they, too, give students tips on how to handle their cards responsibly and start them out with lower limits. People who apply for the Discover Student Card receive a "Credit 101" booklet, and the company's Web site includes a "student center" with a budget calculator, credit quiz and a glossary of key terms, said Matthew Towson, a company spokesman. Capital One, in partnership with Visa, has offered MoneyWi$e University, a program to teach responsible spending and basic money management skills, on college campuses across the country since 2002.