Student Loan Debt Statistics

Key Student Loan Statistics

Here are the key student loan debt statistics as of March 31, 2026:

• Total Student Loan Debt: $1.866 Trillion
• Number Of Federal Student Loan Borrowers: 42.8 Million Borrowers
• Total Federal Student Loan Debt: $1.69 Trillion
• Total Private Student Loan Debt: $176 Billion
• Average Federal Student Loan Debt Per Borrower: $39,547
• Median Federal Student Loan Debt Per Borrower: $20,281

Other key facts:

• 20% of American adults with an undergraduate degree have student loan debt
• Each year, roughly 32% of American undergraduate students accept new student debt
• Approximately $100 Billion in new student loans are issued every year
• 7% of student loans are in default at any given time

Demographic Breakdown

Here are some key demographic information about student loans:

Student Loans By Age Group

Of the $1.69 trillion in federal student loans, here is how much is owed by each age group by dollar-value:

• Under 24: 6%
• 25 - 34 Years: 30%
• 35 - 49 Years: 39%
• 50 - 61 Years: 18%
• 62+: 7%

According to the latest Department of Education data, here is the average balance owed in each age group:

• Under 24: $14,548
• 25 - 34 Years: $33,308
• 35 - 49 Years: $45,582
• 50 - 62 Years: $49,440
• 62+: $51,589

Student Loans By Gender

Here are key student loan statistics by gender:

• 66% of all student loan debt is held by women
• For associates degrees, 28.6% of males and 42.6% of females received student loans.
• For bachelor's degrees, 52.2% of males and 61.4% of females received student loans.
• Borrowers who identify as LGBTQ+ owe an average of $6,000 more in student loan debt.

Student Loans By Race And Ethnicity

Here is some data about student loans by race and ethnicity. Here is the percentage of each group that borrows student loans for a bachelor's degree:

• White/Caucasian: 59%
• Black/African American: 81%
• Hispanic/Latino: 60%
• Asian: 39%
• Native American: 65%
• Multiracial: 63%

Here is the average amount of student loans borrowed for a bachelor's degree by race and ethnicity:

• White/Caucasian: $30,720
• Black/African American: $33,960
• Hispanic/Latino: $27,020
• Asian: $30,470
• Native American: $31,810
• Multiracial: $30,420

Student Loans By Education Level

Here are some student loan facts by education level attained. Below is the average student loan balance by degree-level attained:

• Associates Degree: $19,270
• Bachelor's Degree: $26,190
• Graduate Degree: $106,850

Student Loans By College Type

Here are some student loan facts by the type of college attended. Below is the average student loan balance by college:

• Public: $28,755
• Private Non-Profit: $42,449
• Private For-Profit: $22,449

Student Loan Repayment Statistics

Here are some of the key statistics about student loan repayment.

• Average student loan monthly payment: $523* 
• Median monthly payment on student loan debt: $296*

* The last data point was $393 per month, in 2016. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $503 in today's dollars. For median debt, the last data point in 2016 was $222. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $290 in today's dollars.

Types Of Repayment Plans

Here is a breakdown of the Federal student loan portfolio by repayment plan type as of March 31, 2026, based on people enrolled in repayment plans:

• Standard 10-Year Plan: 40.6% of borrowers
• Extended Plan: 5.2% of borrowers
• Graduated Plan: 9.3% of borrowers
• Income-Contingent: 4.4% of borrowers
• Income-Based: 9.9% of borrowers
• PAYE: 5.2% of borrowers
• SAVE: 23.8% of borrowers
• Other: 1.5% of borrowers

** Remaining borrowers may not be enrolled in a repayment plan due to being a new borrower.

The SAVE, PAYE, and ICR plans are all ending by June 30, 2028. Borrowers in the SAVE will need to migrate to other plans. The new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will go live in July 2026.

Related Reports: Average Student Loan Payment

Student Loan Default Statistics

Here are some of the main student loan default statistics. As of March 2026, 7.7 million student loan borrowers were in default on their loans. This was roughly 11% of the total loan portfolio.

• 7% of student loans are in default at any given time.
• Default rates have been dropping steadily since 2010.
• 15.6% of student borrowers who attended a private, for-profit college defaulted within the three years of graduation.

Collection activity has been paused for most borrowers since 2020, however, collection activity is set to resume in fall 2026.

Learn about Student Loan Default.

How Many Student Loans Are Held By Each Loan Servicer

There are currently 5 active student loan servicers handling the student loan portfolio. As of March 31, 2026, here's how many student loans each loan servicer held:

• Aidvantage: 9.21million borrowers
• CRI: 2.93 million borrowers
• EdFinancial: 6.52 million borrowers
• MOHELA: 6.73 million borrowers
• Nelnet: 12.07 million borrowers