Average Student Loan Debt: 2022 Statistics in the United States

Based on the data available to Nitro, the total amount of student loan debt is over $1.75 trillion. This debt is not only created by recent graduates and current students; It also includes student loan borrowers who have been out of school for over a decade.

The standard repayment plan for both private and federal student loans 10 years, but research suggests it actually takes four-year degree holders an average of 19.7 years to pay off their loans.

In addition to the total student loan debt in the United States, here are some other useful student loan statistics:

• Current U.S. Student Loan Debt = est. $1.75 Trillion
• 1 in 4 Americans have student loan debt: An est. 44.7 Million people
• Average student loan debt amount = $37,172
• Average student loan payment = $393/month 
  
  

The Different Types of Student Loans Available

When you start applying for student loans, you start to learn that there are a lot of different types of loans on the market. It can be difficult to determine exactly which type of loan is right for you. Generally, the different types of loans will fall into two categories: Federal Student Loans and Private Student Loans.

But, what is the difference between these different loan types?

Federal Student Loans

Federal student loans are provided directly by the federal government and the U.S. Department of Education. You can apply for federal loans by filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). After applying for federal student aid, you may be approved for one or more of the following federal loan types:

• Parent PLUS Loans
• Subsidized or unsubsidized direct loans
• Subsidized or unsubsidized indirect loans
• Perkins loans
• FFEL loans

Each loan type has a few different qualifications and works a little differently when it comes to interest rates, monthly payments and forbearance. Additionally, all federal loans have a 6-month grace period before your repayment plan begins. This means that you have 6 months after you graduate or drop below half time enrollment before you have to start paying back your education loans.

Private Student Loans

Private student loans are provided from individual private lenders and can be secured at varying interest rates. While federal student loan interest rates are decided by the U.S. Department of Education, your private loans are decided by the lender themselves. If you have a high credit score or a cosigner with a high credit score, you may be able to secure fairly low rates on your loans.

However, private student loans do not qualify for any of the federal student loan forgiveness programs. They also start accruing interest immediately after you take them out, unlike federal student loans. Generally, we recommend securing federal funding before exploring private student loans.

The Average Monthly Student Loan Payment​​​​​​

The average monthly student loan payment was $393 in 2016 (the latest data available), which is like buying the newest Apple Watch every two months. That puts the average monthly payment nearly 55% higher than it was a decade ago.

Student loan payments have increased more than two-and-a-half times faster than the rate of inflation. If the typical $227 monthly bill student loan borrowers received in 2005 had kept pace with consumer prices, the cost would only have risen by 22.9% to $279. Paying off student loans is significantly more challenging today than it was in the past, but there are strategies borrowers can use to cut their interest rates and lower their monthly payments.

Alternative Student Loan Repayment Options

When most Americans start their student loan repayment plan, they do not understand the majority of alternative payment options available to them. The most common alternative repayment options include:

• Deferment: This is offered by all federal student loan lenders and some private lenders. Deferment gives you a longer grace period between payments that can last up to three years. You won't be able to make any qualifying payments on your loan balance during your deferment period. Additionally, your federally subsidized loans will not accrue interest throughout the deferment period.
• Forbearance: This is also offered by federal student loan lenders and some private lenders. The forbearance period usually lasts a minimum of 12 months and has no maximum time limit. During this time, you will have the option to make small payments towards the interest of your loans, but no other payments. Additionally, all loan types will accrue interest throughout the forbearance period.
• Forgiveness: Student loan forgiveness is the ideal alternative repayment route for most students, though federal student loan forgiveness has strict eligibility requirements. If you qualify for any federal loan forgiveness programs, it will cancel some of your outstanding student loan balance. The most common program that people qualify for is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). If you work in the healthcare field, for the government or for a nonprofit, you can have a portion of your federal student loans forgiven through that program.
• Refinance: You can refinance either private or federal student loans, as long as they are consolidated into one payment. The refinancing process allows you to find a new lender to apply a lower interest rate and set a new loan term. This can help save you money over time on both your federal and private loans, especially if you have a good credit score.
  
  

Federal Student Loan Repayment Statistics

About $1.05 trillion of Americans’ student loan debt is in the form of direct loans. That’s a steep increase from five years ago when the total was $508.7 billion. Currently, 52% of direct federal loan debt is in repayment. About 8% is in default because the borrower hasn’t made a payment in nine months or longer. The remaining 40% is “on hold” for a variety of reasons:

• 13% is held by students who are still in school
• 11% is in forbearance
• 11% is in deferment
• 5% is in a grace period
• 1% is classified as “other”

Forbearance and deferment enable many borrowers to postpone payments if they are experiencing economic hardship, like unemployment or a medical crisis; are serving in the military; or are continuing their studies through a fellowship, residency, or postgraduate study. The main difference is that interest always accrues during forbearance, but does not during some deferments.

The current breakdown is a significant change from the third quarter of 2013, when 42% of federal student loan debt was in repayment, 24% was held by students in school, 13% was in deferment, 8% was in forbearance, 7% was in a grace period, 5% was in default, and 1% was classified as “other.”

Why Is Student Loan Debt So High in the United States?

Student loan debt has ballooned in the past few decades, primarily because the costs associated with higher education – tuition, fees, housing, and books – have grown much faster than family incomes. The College Board has tracked costs at public and private universities since 1971.

When the organization first started monitoring prices, the average cost of one year at a public university was $1,410 ($8,730 in 2017 dollars). That was 15.6% of the median household income of $9,027 and manageable for many families without going into debt.

Fast forward to 2018, and the picture is very different. Today, the average cost of one year at a public university is $21,370, which is 34.8% of the median household income of $61,372. That could be why more than 70% of bachelor’s degree recipients emerge from college today with substantial student loan debt, and why many find themselves in need of loan consolidation and refinancing.

How Has The Pandemic Affected Student Loan Repayment Plans in 2022?

Starting with the Coronavirus Pandemic in early 2020, the federal government stepped in to make student loan repayment more manageable during this time of high unemployment rates and financial crisis. In order to save college graduates money, the federal government decided to put all federal student loans in forbearance temporarily.

This meant that there was a mass payment pause on all federal student loan payments. Initially, this was supposed to stop in January of 2022. However, the Biden administration extended the deadline to May 1, 2022 in order to give graduates extra time to restart their repayment plan. During this forbearance period, federal student loans would not accrue interest or require monthly payments from borrowers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does delinquency mean for a student loan?

Delinquency is when your monthly loan balance goes unpaid for a certain period of time. After your loans are considered delinquent for 9 months, they go into default. If you have delinquent or default loans on your credit report, it can make it difficult for you to open new lines of credit in the future. This includes a mortgage, personal loan, credit card, and more.

Are there income-based repayment plans for low-income individuals?

Yes, the federal government offers income-based repayment plans for low-income individuals. These programs can help make your monthly payment much more manageable while still keeping your loans in good standing.

Do you have to pay back your student loans while still in school?

If you are enrolled in school more than half-time, you do not have to start paying back your federal student loans. However, some private lenders will require all students (even full-time ones) to start paying their loans back immediately after taking them out.

Learn More About Managing Your Student Loan Debt with Nitro College

Managing your student loan debt can be stressful, especially for recent graduates. However, there are plenty of resources out there to help make paying back your student loans much less stressful. Nitro College aims to provide resources for high school students, college students, and graduates for the best ways to pay back their student debt.

With Nitro College, you can get advice on every step of your college career: from applications to student loan repayment. Visit our blog to learn about more useful resources and advice to help you throughout your college career and beyond.

More student loan debt facts & statistics:

Note: The charts and statistics shown below are based on the most recently available data. As inflation has only increased, especially in the past 12 months, the consensus is these trends have only gotten worse.

• Student Loans vs. Credit Cards and Auto Loans
• The Rising Cost of Higher Education
• More Than 1 in 4 American Adults Have Student Loan Debt
• What the Average College Grad’s Debt Looks Like
• Financial Stress for Student Borrowers
• Don’t Fall Behind - A look at delinquency rates
• Federal vs. Private Student Loans
• The Types of Federal Student Loans
• Roughly 4 in 10 Direct Loans Are “On Hold”
• Who Services Federal Student Loans?
• Federal Student Loan Status, by Servicer
• Despite Cost, Americans Still Opt for Higher Education
• Which Are the Most-Educated States?
• Surprising Facts About Graduate Degree Seekers
• Most Popular Graduate Degrees
• Which Graduate Degrees Are Students Borrowing the Most For?
• Encouraging Indicators
• List of our sources

Student Loans vs. Credit Cards and Auto Loans

In the past decade, total U.S. student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt and auto loan debt. In the third quarter of 2018, Americans owed $840 billion on their credit cards and $1.21 trillion in auto loans. Currently, U.S. student loan obligations are larger than both, trailing only mortgages in scope and impact.

The Rising Cost of Higher Education

More Than 1 in 4 American Adults Have Student Loan Debt

What the Average College Grad’s Debt Looks Like

Today, bachelor’s degree recipients with student loans graduate with an average debt of $37,172. That’s up from $20,000 just 13 years ago. And the mean debt for all people with outstanding student loans is $32,731.

To put it in context, we looked at what else you could buy with that sum. Today’s average student loan balance could buy a brand new Audi A4, pay for a 141-guest wedding, or score four 50-yard line tickets to the big game. It’s also equal to an 18% down payment on a $205,000 house – which was the median home value in the U.S. in November 2017.

Financial Stress for Student Borrowers

One of the effects of student loan debt is many borrowers have no financial safety net if they get hit with an unexpected expense.

Don’t Fall Behind

Most Americans try hard to meet their student loan obligations, but as balances grow, a greater number of borrowers are falling behind on their payments.

Student loans now have the highest rates of delinquency. At the third quarter of 2018, 11.5% of student loans were more than 90 days past due. In contrast, the credit card delinquency rate stood at 7.9% and the auto loan delinquency rate at 4.3%. Home equity line of credit (HE revolving) and mortgage delinquency rates were even lower, at 1.2% and 1.1%, respectively.

The challenges of repaying student loans may be, in part, because of high interest rates. As more graduates discover private refinancing options, which can lower monthly payments significantly, delinquency rates may fall.

Federal vs. Private Student Loans

The overwhelming majority of outstanding student loan debt is owed to the federal government. The remaining 19% is owed to private banks. Historically, federal loans were the first stop for most students because they were relatively easy to get and carried reasonable interest rates. However, as market conditions have shifted from the early 1990s until today, so have the interest rates on federal student loans. In recent years, new competition among private lenders has led to more options and better customer service. Especially after graduation, many students find they can get a better deal by refinancing federal loans with private lenders.

The Types of Federal Student Loans

Over three-quarters of all federal loans are direct loans. They are provided directly by the U.S. Department of Education and are available to most students regardless of financial need. Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) are indirect loans, provided by accredited institutions but guaranteed by the government.

Perkins Loans are need-based loans of up to $5,500 a year for undergraduate students with very low household incomes; they are issued directly by the universities. Federal loans are among the easiest for students to get, but most have low annual limits, and interest rates can be high.

Graduates with multiple federal loans can turn to consolidation to streamline their finances and lock in lower interest rates.

Roughly 4 in 10 Direct Loans Are “On Hold”

Who Services My Federal Student Loans?

Borrowers don’t make their federal student loan payments directly to the U.S. Department of Education. Instead, loan servicers act as go-betweens, handling a variety of important tasks including:

• Billing
• Processing and keeping track of payments
• Helping borrowers change payment plans
• Dealing with requests for deferment or forbearance
• Certifying borrowers for loan forgiveness

Four servicers handle the majority of federal direct loans and Federal Family Education Loans. The largest of these is FedLoan Servicing (known as AES-PHEAA), which controls 31% of the total. The others are Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation with 23%, Navient with 21%, and Nelnet with 17%. Multiple nonprofit servicers handle the remaining loans.

Federal Student Loan Status, by Servicer

The major loan servicers handle billions of dollars of loans on behalf of the federal government. The chart above shows the status of loans managed by each entity. The nonprofit servicers have the lowest rate of loans in repayment (49%) and the lowest rate of loans in forbearance (4%). Of the four biggest servicers, repayment and forbearance rates are as follows:

• AES-PHEAA: 67% repayment, 13% forbearance
• Great Lakes: 60% repayment, 11% forbearance
• Nelnet: 61% repayment, 8% forbearance
• Navient: 65% repayment, 12% forbearance

Despite Cost, Americans Still Opt for Higher Education

Higher education has long been considered the ticket to affluence and job satisfaction. The earnings premium for degree holders has grown steadily over the past several decades, and college graduates are more likely to become homeowners, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Among all Americans aged 25 and older, 58.9% have spent at least some time in college, and about 32.5% have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Younger Americans are more likely to prioritize going to college than previous generations. Among people aged 65 and older – part of the baby boomer and silent generations – 50% have spent some time in college, and 27% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among those aged 25 to 34 – who would be considered millennials – 65% have spent some time in college, and 36% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Which Are the Most-Educated States?

Levels of educational attainment vary widely across the country. The states with the most bachelor’s degree recipients age 25 or older are Massachusetts (41.2%), Maryland (38.4%), Colorado (38.7%), and Connecticut (38.0%). The states with the fewest bachelor’s degree holders are West Virginia (19.6%), Mississippi (21.0%), Arkansas (21.5%), and Kentucky (22.7%).

Surprising Facts About Graduate Degree Seekers

It’s expensive, but Americans are still pursuing graduate and professional degrees – and the majority are doing so as full-time students. Of the 1.84 million students enrolled in public or private not-for-profit graduate programs in fall 2016, 57.4% were registered full time. Graduate students are also now more likely to be women than men.

What Are The Most Popular Graduate Degrees?

Although law and medicine draw many young people to graduate school, aspiring doctors make up just 5% of grad students and potential lawyers another 4%. Among master’s programs, the most sought-after degrees are science (18%), education (16%), and business administration (11%). About a quarter of graduate students are aiming for a doctorate, with 23% trying to earn a Ph.D.

Which Graduate Degrees Are Students Borrowing the Most For?

Of all graduate degrees, a medical degree takes longest to earn and costs the most. Doctors emerge from their training with an average debt load of $161,772. Lawyers follow with $140,616 worth of student loans, and educators rack up an average of $50,879 in outstanding loans. Of all degree seekers, the least indebted after graduation tend to be those earning MBAs, with an average student loan debt of $42,000.

Many news stories about student loans seem pretty grim, focusing on the ever-higher cost of a college education. But amid the alarming statistics, there is some good news as well. Higher education is a cornerstone of the American dream and, despite the rising cost, more than two-thirds of American high school students choose to go to college.

Enrollment peaked in 2011 and has declined slightly in the years since, but just over 19 million students registered for classes at degree-granting institutions in fall 2016. Enrollment is down at for-profit schools, and undergraduate enrollment also decreased slightly at public four-year institutions, which are widely viewed as the better value.

Student loan debt will continue to be a challenge for many Americans, but the issue has gained the attention of political and business leaders, and proposed remedies are coming from a variety of quarters. Among the encouraging developments:

• In April 2017, New York became the first state to offer free in-state tuition at public four-year universities to residents with household incomes of less than $100,000.
• Rhode Island, Oregon, and San Francisco recently made community college tuition-free for residents, regardless of income.
• Some major companies have begun to offer student loan reimbursement as a perk of employment. To date, it’s only available at about 4% of American companies, but the number has been growing.
• Dozens of bills have been introduced in Congress to make college more affordable (or free) and to allow borrowers to refinance their federal loans through the Department of Education. Several provisions for federal loan borrowers, such as the student loan interest rate tax deduction, will stay in place following the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
• Even if Congress doesn’t act, there has been a surge of competition and innovation among private student lenders, resulting in lower interest rates, better customer service, and options to make loans manageable for borrowers. A recent Nitro review found people who refinanced saved an average of $253 a month and $16,183 over the life of the loan.

The more debt you have, the more important it is to be strategic about paying it off. Learn more about refinancing, consolidating, or eliminating your student loan debt from Nitro.