
Updated: Jan. 15, 2020
It’s 2020, and Americans are more burdened by student loan debt than ever.
Among the Class of 2019, 69% of college students took out student loans, and they graduated with an average debt of $29,900, including both private and federal debt. Meanwhile, 14% of their parents took out an average of $37,200 in federal parent PLUS loans.
You’ve probably heard another scary statistic: Americans owe over $1.64 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 45 million borrowers. That’s about $587 billion more than the total U.S. credit card debt.
But how does this break down at a more granular level? Are student loans being used to attend public or private universities? Is it mostly from four-year or graduate degrees? What percentage of overall graduates carry debt? Are more grads utilizing private student loan consolidation and refinancing?
Let’s take a look.
(Data provided by Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research with SavingforCollege.com, as well as by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, unless otherwise specified.)
General student loan debt facts
First, let’s start with a general picture of the student loan landscape. The most recent data indicate there is:
- $1.64 trillion in total U.S. student loan debt
- 44.7 million Americans with student loan debt
- 11.1% of student loans are 90 days or more delinquent or are in default
- Monthly student loan payment (among those not in deferment) usually range between $200 and $299 on average
(Data via the U.S. Federal Reserve here, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York here.)
Public Service Loan Forgiveness statistics
(As of September 2019 – latest available data)
PSLF borrowers: 1,132,007*
Borrowers who submitted forgiveness applications: 90,962
Borrowers who were granted PSLF: 845
Average balance forgiven: $61,592
* Total number of borrowers who have one or more approved PSLF Employment Certification Forms (ECF)
(Note: Borrowers are self-identified based on submission of an ECF. Source: United States Government Accountability Office, via the Report to Congressional Requesters, and Dept. of Education here.)
Federal student loan portfolio
(Updated for September 2019)
Now let’s dive into how much debt student loan borrowers carry by loan type, term and more.
STUDENT LOAN DEBT STATISTICS BY LOAN PROGRAM:
| Direct Loans | $1.24 trillion | 35.1 million borrowers |
| FFEL Loans | $261.6 billion | 12.1 million borrowers |
| Perkins Loans | $6.1 billion | 2.0 million borrowers |
| Total (All Federal) | $1.51 trillion | 42.9 million borrowers |
STUDENT LOAN DEBT STATISTICS BY LOAN TYPE:
| Stafford Subsidized | $280.7 billion | 29.5 million borrowers |
| Stafford Unsubsidized | $516.0 billion | 28.9 million borrowers |
| Stafford combined | $796.7 billion | 33.2 million unique recipients |
| Grad PLUS | $75.2 billion | 1.4 million borrowers |
| Parent PLUS | $96.1 billion | 3.6 million borrowers |
| Perkins | $6.1 billion | 2.0 million borrowers |
| Consolidation | $536.1 billion | 11.7 million borrowers |
(Data via Studentaid.ed.gov)
STUDENT DEBT STATISTICS BY LOAN STATUS (DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM)
| Loans in repayment | $719.2 billion | 19.3 million borrowers |
| Loans in deferment | $132.4 billion | 3.7 million borrowers |
| Loans in forbearance | $130.2 billion | 2.9 million borrowers |
| Loans in default | $161.3 billion | 7.6 million borrowers |
| Loans in grace period | $45.2 billion | 1.8 million borrowers |
(Data via Studentaid.ed.gov)
STUDENT LOAN STATISTICS BY REPAYMENT PLAN (DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM)
| Level Repayment Plan (10 years or less) |
$200.7 billion | 10.76 million borrowers |
| Level Repayment Plan (greater than 10 years) |
$77.6 billion | 1.70 million borrowers |
| Graduated repayment plan (10 years or less) |
$90.4 billion | 3.12 million borrowers |
| Graduated repayment plan (greater than 10 years) |
$16.7 billion | 340,000 borrowers |
| Income-Contingent (ICR) | $33.6 billion | 710,000 borrowers |
| Income-Based (IBR) | $170.4 billion | 2.77 million borrowers |
| Pay As You Earn (PAYE) | $96.7 billion | 1.39 million borrowers |
| Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) | $168.9 billion | 2.9 million borrowers |
| Alternative | $44.9 billion | 1.29 million borrowers |
(Data via Studentaid.ed.gov)
STUDENT LOAN DEBT BY SERVICER
| REPAYMENT | DEFERMENT | FORBEARANCE | IN-SCHOOL | GRACE | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding (billions) |
Recipients (millions) |
Outstanding (billions) |
Recipients (millions) |
Outstanding (billions) |
Recipients (millions) |
Outstanding (billions) |
Recipients (millions) |
Outstanding (billions) |
Recipients (millions) |
|
| PHEAA | $251.5 | 5.22 | $33.7 | 0.81 | $47.6 | 0.85 | $20.8 | 0.88 | $9.0 | 0.27 |
| Great Lakes | $153.4 | 4.64 | $31.2 | 0.9 | $28.4 | 0.72 | $29.3 | 1.5 | $11.4 | 0.41 |
| Nelnet | $119.5 | 3.67 | $25.1 | 0.72 | $17.6 | 0.46 | $22.4 | 1.08 | $8.3 | 0.3 |
| Navient | $145.3 | 3.98 | $24.5 | 0.64 | $31.7 | 0.64 | $16.7 | 0.78 | $7.3 | 0.26 |
| Not-for-Profit Servicers | $49.4 | 2.55 | $17.9 | 0.71 | $4.8 | 0.23 | $42.5 | 3.11 | $9.2 | 0.54 |
(Data via Studentaid.ed.gov)
More shocking student loan debt statistics
If those numbers weren’t stunning enough, here’s a closer look at how students accumulate debt based on the type of school they attend:
- 69% of seniors graduating with a four-year degree in 2019 had student loan debt.
- Average debt at graduation from public and nonprofit colleges was $29,900 in 2019, a 2% increase from 2018.
- 66% of graduates from public colleges had loans as of May 2018 (average debt of $25,550)
- 75% of graduates from private, nonprofit colleges had loans as of May 2018 (average debt of $32,300)
- 88% of graduates from for-profit colleges had loans as of May 2018 (average debt of $39,950)
- Students borrowed an estimated $259 billion for the 2018-2019 academic year, and 5% of that amount was private loans.
- About 17% of the student debt held by the graduating class of 2018 was private.
- 48% of borrowers who attended for-profit colleges default within 12 years, compared to 12% of public college attendees, and 14% of nonprofit college attendees.
(Data via TICAS.org here, here, and here, and the College Board here.)
Private student loan debt statistics
- Private student loan debt volume hit an estimated $13.1 billion in the 2018-2019 academic year.
- More than half of undergraduates don’t take full advantage of federal students, borrowing private loans before they’ve exhausted their available federal loans
- In 2015-2016, 39% of private loan borrowers attended schools that had tuition costs of $10,000 or less.
- 17% of student loans for the class of 2018 were private.
- Interest rates for private loans ran as high as 14.24% in April 2019.
(Data via Ticas.org here and here)
Clearly, as these student loan debt statistics show, the cost of attending college can be a heavy burden for a huge portion of Americans.
What are you doing to pay off your debt and ensure you don’t become another statistic? Be sure to let us know how we can help.
Save these statistics for yourself
For press inquiries, please contact press@studentloanhero.com.
Interested in refinancing your student loans?
Here are the top 6 lenders of 2020!| Lender | Variable APR | Average Savings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresTo qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or possess a 10-year (non-conditional) Permanent Resident Card, reside in a state Earnest lends in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.earnest.com/eligibility. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Earnest fixed rate loan rates range from 2.94% APR (with Auto Pay) to 5.98% APR (with Auto Pay). Variable rate loan rates range from 1.89% APR (with Auto Pay) to 5.98% APR (with Auto Pay). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 8.95% for loan terms 10 years or less. For loan terms of 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95% (the maximum rates for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 1.82% and 5.50% to the one month LIBOR. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Earnest rate ranges are current as of February 4, 2020, and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. Auto Pay discount: If you make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account, your rate will be reduced by one quarter of one percent (0.25%) for so long as you continue to make automatic, electronic monthly payments. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. The information provided on this page is updated as of 2/24/2020. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 302 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, email us at hello@earnest.com, or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. © 2018 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. 2 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures
3 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresLaurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Mortgage lending is not offered in Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association. ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE (“APR”) FEE INFORMATION There are no origination fees or prepayment penalties associated with the loan. Lender may assess a late fee if any part of a payment is not received within 15 days of the payment due date. Any late fee assessed shall not exceed 5% of the late payment or $28, whichever is less. A borrower may be charged $20 for any payment (including a check or an electronic payment) that is returned unpaid due to non-sufficient funds (NSF) or a closed account. LOAN AMOUNT For bachelor’s degrees and higher, up to 100% of outstanding private and federal student loans (minimum $5,000) are eligible for refinancing. If you are refinancing greater than $300,000 in student loan debt, Lender may refinance the loans into 2 or more new loans. ELIGIBILITY & ELIGIBLE LOANS Borrower, and Co-signer if applicable, must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident with a valid I-551 card (which must show a minimum of 10 years between “Resident Since” date and “Card Expires” date or has no expiration date); state that they are of at least borrowing age in the state of residence at the time of application; and meet Lender underwriting criteria (including, for example, employment, debt-to-income, disposable income, and credit history requirements). Graduates may refinance any unsubsidized or subsidized Federal or private student loan that was used exclusively for qualified higher education expenses (as defined in 26 USC Section 221) at an accredited U.S. undergraduate or graduate school. Any federal loans refinanced with Lender are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment. All loans must be in grace or repayment status and cannot be in default. Borrower must have graduated or be enrolled in good standing in the final term preceding graduation from an accredited Title IV U.S. school and must be employed, or have an eligible offer of employment. Parents looking to refinance loans taken out on behalf of a child should refer to https://www.laurelroad.com/refinance-student-loans/refinance-parent-plus-loans/ for applicable terms and conditions. For Associates Degrees: Only associates degrees earned in one of the following are eligible for refinancing: Cardiovascular Technologist (CVT); Dental Hygiene; Diagnostic Medical Sonography; EMT/Paramedics; Nuclear Technician; Nursing; Occupational Therapy Assistant; Pharmacy Technician; Physical Therapy Assistant; Radiation Therapy; Radiologic/MRI Technologist; Respiratory Therapy; or Surgical Technologist. To refinance an Associates degree, a borrower must also either be currently enrolled and in the final term of an associate degree program at a Title IV eligible school with an offer of employment in the same field in which they will receive an eligible associate degree OR have graduated from a school that is Title IV eligible with an eligible associate and have been employed, for a minimum of 12 months, in the same field of study of the associate degree earned. INTEREST RATES The interest rate you are offered will depend on your credit profile, income, and total debt payments as well as your choice of fixed or variable and choice of term. For applicants who are currently medical or dental residents, your rate offer may also vary depending on whether you have secured employment for after residency. DISBURSEMENT OPTIONS The repayment of any refinanced student loan will commence (1) immediately after disbursement by us, or (2) after any grace or in-school deferment period, existing prior to refinancing and/or consolidation with us, has expired. POSTPONING OR REDUCING PAYMENTS After loan disbursement, if a borrower documents a qualifying economic hardship, we may agree in our discretion to allow for full or partial forbearance of payments for one or more 3-month time periods (not to exceed 12 months in the aggregate during the term of your loan), provided that we receive acceptable documentation (including updating documentation) of the nature and expected duration of the borrower’s economic hardship. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow a borrower to make $100/month payments for a period of time immediately after loan disbursement if the borrower is employed full-time as an intern, resident, or similar postgraduate trainee at the time of loan disbursement. These payments may not be enough to cover all of the interest that accrues on the loan. Unpaid accrued interest will be added to your loan and monthly payments of principal and interest will begin when the post-graduate training program ends. We may agree under certain circumstances to allow postponement (deferral) of monthly payments of principal and interest for a period of time immediately following loan disbursement (not to exceed 6 months after the borrower’s graduation with an eligible degree), if the borrower is an eligible student in the borrower’s final term at the time of loan disbursement or graduated less than 6 months before loan disbursement, and has accepted an offer of (or has already begun) full-time employment. If Lender agrees (in its sole discretion) to postpone or reduce any monthly payment(s) for a period of time, interest on the loan will continue to accrue for each day principal is owed. Although the borrower might not be required to make payments during such a period, the borrower may continue to make payments during such a period. Making payments, or paying some of the interest, will reduce the total amount that will be required to be paid over the life of the loan. Interest not paid during any period when Lender has agreed to postpone or reduce any monthly payment will be added to the principal balance through capitalization (compounding) at the end of such a period, one month before the borrower is required to resume making regular monthly payments. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of February 25, 2020 and is subject to change. 4 Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial DisclosuresTerms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Rates and terms are also subject to change at any time without notice. Offers are subject to credit approval. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. 5 Important Disclosures for College Ave. College Ave DisclosuresCollege Ave Student Loans products are made available through either Firstrust Bank, member FDIC or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply. 1College Ave Refi Education loans are not currently available to residents of Maine. 2All rates shown include autopay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. Variable rates may increase after consummation. 3$5,000 is the minimum requirement to refinance. The maximum loan amount is $300,000 for those with medical, dental, pharmacy or veterinary doctorate degrees, and $150,000 for all other undergraduate or graduate degrees. 4This informational repayment example uses typical loan terms for a refi borrower with a Full Principal & Interest Repayment and a 10-year repayment term, has a $40,000 loan and a 5.5% Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): 120 monthly payments of $434.11 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments of $52,092.61. Loans will never have a full principal and interest monthly payment of less than $50. Your actual rates and repayment terms may vary. Information advertised valid as of 1/1/2020. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. 6 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond DisclosuresOffered terms are subject to change. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900). If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 1.68% effective January 10, 2020. 7 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments. The lowest advertised variable APR is only available for loan terms of 5 years and is reserved for applicants with FICO scores of at least 810. As of 12/019/2019 student loan refinancing rates range from 1.90% to 8.59% Variable APR with AutoPay and 3.49% to 7.75% Fixed APR with AutoPay. |
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![]() | 1.89% – 5.98%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 2.31% – 6.48%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 2.29% – 6.65%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 1.99% – 7.06%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 2.62% – 6.12%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 1.77% – 6.25%6 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 1.90% – 8.59%7 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
![]() | 2.39% – 6.01%8 | Undergrad & Graduate | |







