With all the expenses college students face on a daily basis, it may be easier to whip out a credit card, charge it and worry about the costs later.

However, that kind of mentality may hit students sooner and harder than they think. While experts advise students to get a credit card to start building up a credit history, students should go about it with caution, experts warned.

"A credit card is a tool and it should be managed wisely," Cathy Bowen, professor in the college of agricultural sciences, said. "Your credit history could affect your ability to get a job, apartment, car loan."

Nationwide, younger and older people are in credit card debt because they don't understand how credit cards work, Bowen said.

According to www.creditcards.com, 83 percent of undergraduate college students have at least one credit card with an average outstanding balance of more than $2,300.

But courses offered at Penn State are looking to teach students to better manage their finances.

This semester, Penn State introduced an online one-credit course that focuses on financial skills such as credit cards, first-time home buying, insurance and investment.

The class was offered for the first half of the semester to 20 students, and now 20 new students are enrolled for the second half of the semester. Next semester, finance professors John McGinnis and Jim Miles, who run the course, hope to open the class to more students.

Across the U.S., there is an increased interest in improving financial literacy, Bowen said.

Bowen, who teaches consumer and finance skills for new professionals, said some years students come in well informed about financial skills, while other years some "are almost clueless."

"It's a class I feel all students should have," Bowen said. "We all need to know how to handle money."

Bowen said she created a brochure, "Credit Cards and College: Know the Facts," which is now sold in the Penn State Bookstore and used in some first-year seminars.

McGinnis, also a certified financial planner, said what makes credit cards so handy but problematic for young people is the ability to spend without feeling the immediate cost, as opposed to paying out of the pocket with cash.

"Using that credit card, you don't feel pain immediately," McGinnis said.

That's where Wili Morrobel (graduate-psychology) says he gets into trouble. He admits using a credit card to pay for almost everything, even when he doesn't have the money to pay the bill.

Morrobel said he is in about $2,500 in credit card debt. While he currently doesn't have a job, he's using some of his money from working over the summer to pay it off. It's not that easy, though, especially with out-of-state expenses.

"I'm in a lot of debt," Morrobel said. "It hasn't been easy."

The combination of college loans and credit card debt can be financial burdens for students, even though college loans are seen as good debt because they help improve students' future success, McGinnis said.

McGinnis said he brings in four basic principles of finance in his investment and introduction to finance classes: spend less than you earn, diversify your investments, save regularly and often, and remember rule number one.

It's hard for students to spend less than they earn because they are not earning a lot and have college expenses, he said.

McGinnis said to develop good credit history, students should get a credit card but use it sparingly and be able to pay it off. By developing a good credit history, students will be able to get a mortgage and car loans, he said.

To manage her credit card, Joanna Witmer (sophomore-human development and family studies) said she uses an online banking bill center where she puts the amount owed in and the money is taken out of her checking account.

"I'm the type of person that if I don't have money in the bank, I don't use my credit card," she said, adding that she uses her debit card, credit card or money when she makes purchases.

Melissa Villarreal (senior-behavioral health), who has had a credit card since high school, said she manages it relatively well because she uses her credit card once or twice a month and just uses the card for food and clothing.

"Don't spend more than you have," Villarreal said. "I never get to the point where I spend a lot of money."

However, Miles said if one lacks management or maturity, debit cards are an alternative to credit cards and are just as convenient. Still, he said it's important to eventually get a credit card.

"For a disciplined person, it's probably a good idea to get a credit card," he said. "At some point you should establish a credit history with a credit card."