How many people are in default on student loans?

Asked by: Dr. Janae Dach V  |  Last update: January 26, 2026
Score: 4.2/5 (19 votes)

How Many People Are Currently in Default on Their Student Loans? By the end of 2021, roughly 3 million people were in student loan default — that's about 7% of all borrowers. Another 270,000 were 90-270 days delinquent on their student loans — meaning they missed a payment but hadn't defaulted yet.

What percentage of student loans are defaulted?

5.47% of all student loan debt is in default in 2021, but this dropped to below 1% through the Federal New Start Program. An average of 8.15% of student loan debt is in default at any given time.

How many people are behind on student loan payments?

Sixteen percent of Americans with student loans are behind on their payments, putting them at risk of accumulating interest and lowering their credit scores. Those with lower incomes and less education are more likely to be behind on their payments. Source: Federal Reserve (2024). Source: Federal Reserve (2024).

What percentage of loans default?

In the first quarter of 2024, roughly 2.68 percent of all consumer loans at commercial banks in the United States were delinquent.

How many missed student loan payments before default?

After 270 days, or roughly nine months, of past-due payments: Your federal loan goes into default and you could see your debt go to collections.

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What happens if you don't pay off student loans in 25 years?

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. Borrowers with FFELP loans held by commercial lenders or Perkins loans not held by ED can benefit if they consolidate into Direct Loans.

Do student loans in default ever go away?

Default Status and Credit Reports: Defaulted loans don't disappear after 7 years, but the default status may be removed from your credit report, though the debt remains. Loan Discharge Options: Loans may be discharged in cases of death, permanent disability, or school fraud.

Are defaults on the rise?

Credit card defaults are on the rise for Americans, reaching the highest level in 14 years. Credit card defaults jumped to a record $46 billion from January through September 2024, according to the Financial Times.

What is the delinquency rate in 2024?

The Trepp CMBS Delinquency Rate rose once more in December 2024, with the overall rate increasing 17 basis points to 6.57%. The office delinquency rate rose 63 basis points in December to 11.01%, surpassing the 11% mark for the first time since Trepp began tracking delinquency rates in 2000.

Who has a higher risk of default?

Financial Status

Borrowers with zero or negative net worth are over twice as likely to experience default compared with borrowers with a higher asset-to-debt ratio. Families with fewer assets and more debt may be less able to withstand financial shocks, which could cause them to struggle with repayment.

Why do my student loans say no payment due in 2024?

You don't get reported when you're in forbearance. During the on-ramp period (through Sept. 30, 2024), we automatically put your loan in a forbearance for the payments you missed. Here's what this means: Your account was no longer considered delinquent and was made current.

What is the average age people pay off student loans?

You're not alone if you are still paying off your student loans from your college education years ago. In fact, many Americans are paying their student loans well into middle age. A 2019 study from New York Life found that the average age when people finally pay off their student loans for good is 45.

What is happening with student loans right now?

The U.S. Department of Education's COVID-19 relief for student loans has ended. The 0% interest rate ended Sept. 1, 2023, and payments restarted in October.

How bad is student debt in America?

Americans owe about $1.6 trillion in student loans as of June 2024 – 42% more than what they owed a decade earlier. The increase has come as greater shares of young U.S. adults go to college and as the cost of higher education increases.

What happens if you don't pay defaulted student loans?

You lose eligibility for additional federal student aid such as Federal Pell Grants and student loans. The default is reported to credit bureaus, damaging your credit rating and affecting your ability to buy a car or house or to get a credit card. It may take years to reestablish a good credit record.

What is the default rate in the US in 2024?

We expect that the U.S. speculative-grade default rate will fall to 3.25% by September 2025 (from 4.4% in September 2024).

How many people default on their mortgage?

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 15, 2024) – The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.97 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the second quarter of 2024, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) National Delinquency ...

Is delinquency on the rise?

CoreLogic: US Overall Delinquency Rate Continues to Trend Upward in 2024. The share of loans 30 or more days past due in September increased year over year.

Are Americans defaulting on loans?

What does this mean? More Americans have fallen behind on their credit card payments over the past year than at any other time in the last decade, with 9.1% of accounts hitting “delinquency” status. Car loan delinquencies hit a 10-year high, too, landing at around 8%.

How many student loan defaults are there?

How Many People Are Currently in Default on Their Student Loans? By the end of 2021, roughly 3 million people were in student loan default — that's about 7% of all borrowers. Another 270,000 were 90-270 days delinquent on their student loans — meaning they missed a payment but hadn't defaulted yet.

What happens to defaults after 6 years?

An account in default will show for 6 years from the date it defaulted, after which it will no longer appear on your credit report. Electoral Register history will be visible to organisations performing a search against your credit report indefinitely as this information is used to help identify who you are.

At what age do student loans get written off?

At what age do student loans get written off? There is no specific age when students get their loans written off in the United States, but federal undergraduate loans are forgiven after 20 years, and federal graduate school loans are forgiven after 25 years.

Will my 2024 tax refund be garnished for student loans?

The Fresh Start program for borrowers with previously defaulted student loans will prevent withheld tax refunds through at least September 2024. And borrowers won't newly fall into default as payments resume. The White House announced a 12-month student loan on-ramp from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept.

Can you lose your house if you default on student loans?

When you fall behind on payments, there's no property for the lender to take. The bank has to sue you and get an order from a judge before taking any of your property. Student loans are unsecured loans. As a result, student loans can't take your house if you make your payments on time.