: Student debt may depress homeownership rates; for every $1,000 of student loan debt, homeownership among recent graduates has declined by 1.8% since 2005.

: Black borrowers owe an average of $13,000 more than white borrowers 12 months after completing a bachelor's degree. Twenty years after starting college, the median Black borrower still owes 95% of their original loan, compared to 6% for white borrowers. Repayment & Forgiveness Options

: The average federal student loan balance is $39,547 , though some estimates including private loans suggest it may be as high as $43,333 . Borrower Profile : 33.5% of federal borrowers are aged 25 to 34.

53.3% of undergraduate program completers use federal loans at some point.

Student Loan Debt Statistics [2026] - Education Data Initiative

: $1.833 trillion total ($1.693 trillion federal, $167 billion private).

: Individuals with over $30,000 in student debt are 11% less likely to start a new business.