Trends in the level of borrowing by graduate and professional students, and the capacity of students to repay their education debt are considered. In addition, sources of debt data and implications of this information for national student aid and data collection policy are addressed. Attention is also directed to levels of indebtedness between graduate students in the arts and sciences and students enrolled in professional schools; the levels of indebtedness among fields within the arts and sciences; and the future earnings and debt burden of graduate and professional students. Debt burden refers to the portion of a borrower's future earnings that will be needed to repay educational loans. Five major fields are analyzed: business, law, medicine, arts and science Ph.Ds, and arts and science masters. The data for analyzing student debt came from the Graduate and Professional Student Financial Aid Service, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Estimates of future earnings by occupational fields were derived from Census Bureau and National Research Council data. It was found that students in medicine and law had the highest estimated debt, while students seeking a masters or Ph.D in the arts and sciences showed lower indebtedness. (SW)