In recent years, increases in private education loan borrowing, in which students borrow outside of the federal loan programs, have sparked concerns within the higher education community. Private education loans are not subject to the same interest rate or borrowing caps as federal student loans, nor do they offer the same flexibility in payment plans, which can make repaying private loans a substantial burden for some students. This report analyzes private label borrowing by students, using data from the 1999-2000 Department of Education's National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS), to better understand what factors drive students to borrow private education loans. Family income, students' costs of attendance, and borrowing in the federal programs are some of the factors discussed in this analysis.