How many people aren't paying student loans?
By July, 11.2% of adults with student loan debt reported they were unable to make at least one student loan payment that year-to-date. In early 2020, 75.3% of private student loans were in repayment while 20% were in deferment.
Who has student loan debt? Roughly 43 million Americans have outstanding federal student loan debt — that's about 13% of the U.S. population, per census data. Source: Federal Student Aid, Portfolio by Age Q4 2023.
Nearly 9 million student loan borrowers missed their first payment after pandemic pause ended. Nearly 9 million borrowers missed their first student loan payment after the pandemic-related pause ended this fall, the Department of Education said Friday.
Student loan borrowers won't face significant penalties for missed payments through September 2024. Struggling borrowers will be shielded from significant penalties for late and missed payments through September 2024. Here's what borrowers need to know.
Around half of borrowers made their payments once the payment pause expired and about half did not. Most borrowers who missed their payments were simply unable to afford them or had their loans placed into involuntary administrative forbearance.
Black adults are more likely to carry student loan debt than white adults at every level of educational attainment. Hispanic or Latino/a private student loan borrowers face repayment difficulties at rates more than double that of white borrowers.
Black families borrow student loans at higher rates than other races — and they owe more. 30.2% of Black families hold student loan debt, versus 20.0% of white and 14.3% of Hispanic families.
Behind the numbers (WSJ): Due to escalating tuition and easy credit, the U.S. has 101 people who owe at least $1 million in federal student loans, according to the Education Department. Five years ago, 14 people owed that much. More could join that group.
Some graduate students leave school with six figures of debt. In the 2019-20 school year, 13% of those who earned master's degrees, 13% of doctoral program graduates, and 57% of professional degree recipients took out $100,000 or more to pay for college and graduate school.
Key Findings: 6 in 10 student loan borrowers have missed payments since pause ended in October 2023; 25% haven't made any payments. 9% of borrowers who haven't made any payments are intentionally boycotting to pressure government to cancel federal student loan debt.
What happens if I don't pay my student loans for 7 years?
Do student loans go away after 7 years? While negative information about your student loans may disappear from your credit reports after seven years, the student loans will remain on your credit reports — and in your life — until you pay them off.
Any borrower with ED-held loans that have accumulated time in repayment of at least 20 or 25 years will see automatic forgiveness, even if the loans are not currently on an IDR plan.
If you default on your student loan, that status will be reported to national credit reporting agencies. This reporting may damage your credit rating and future borrowing ability. Also, the government can collect on your loans by taking funds from your wages, tax refunds, and other government payments.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia recently offered an explanation for this situation. It reported that more than half of borrowers who didn't make a payment in October — including some who were on plans allowing them to make payments as a percentage of their income — said it was because they couldn't afford it.
20% of all American adults with undergraduate degrees have outstanding student debt; 24% postgraduate degree holders report outstanding student loans. 20% of U.S. adults report having paid off student loan debt. The 5-year annual average student loan debt growth rate is 15%.
State | Average student loan debt |
---|---|
California | $37,211 |
South Carolina | $36,981 |
North Carolina | $36,885 |
Delaware | $36,776 |
Women are stereotypically seen as irresponsible spenders, but the data doesn't back this up. According to a 2019 Experian study, men carry more debt than women across nearly all categories, including credit card debt — the study found that men have $125 more in credit card debt than women on average.
Cancellation would promote college affordability, access, and completion. Student debt is not an individual burden but one that strains entire families. Many borrowers take on student loans while also caring for their parents.
Student loan debt slows new business growth and limits consumer spending. Broad student loan debt forgiveness may help boost the national economy by making it more affordable for borrowers to participate in it.
The federal government or a commercial entity owns your student loans. Private companies own all private loans. The U.S. Department of Education holds most federal loans. Both the Department of Education and private institutions partner with third parties called student loan servicers.
What percent of black students take out loans?
Data from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that around 86% of Black students take out student loan debt compared with around only 68% percent of white students. Black students also typically owe more than white students.
Q3 2023 | Q3 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Gen Z18–26 | $3,262 $3,262 | $2,854 $2,854 |
Millennials27–42 | $6,521 $6,521 | $5,649 $5,649 |
Gen X43–58 | $9,123 $9,123 | $8,134 $8,134 |
Baby boomers59–77 | $6,642 $6,642 | $6,245 $6,245 |
Today, just about everyone involved in the student loan industry makes money off students – the banks, private investors, even the federal government.
The average student loan debt borrowed for a four-year bachelor's degree was $30,500 in 2019-2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The average federal student loan debt has more than doubled since 2007, from $18,233 in 2007 to $37,090 at the end of 2023.
Around 23% of Americans are debt free, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve. That figure factors in every type of debt, from credit card balances and student loans to mortgages, car loans and more.
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