A total college debt of $120,000 would put you well, well into the top 1% of borrowers for an undergraduate degree. In fact, it would be hard to even accomplish this; you'd have to use Parent PLUS loans or private loans (for which you'd need to qualify) or both.
Only a small percentage—about 6% of borrowers—owe $100,000 or more. Nationally, the average student loan balance per borrower is $39,032, so if you have $100,000 in student loan debt, you have about 2.5 times the national average balance. But your loan principal is just one part of the problem.
Depending on your field of study and career prospects, borrowing upwards of $100,000 to fund that degree could be either a smart investment or a big mistake.
As of 2023, there are one million federal student loan borrowers who owe $200,000 or more, according to StudentAid.gov. The good news is that even though paying off such a large balance can be difficult, it's not impossible. You can refinance your loans or add a cosigner to improve or lower your interest rate.
Let's say you have $200,000 in student loans at 6% interest on a 10-year repayment term. Your monthly payments would be $2,220. If you can manage an additional $200 a month, you could save a total of $7,796 while trimming a year off your repayment plan.
45% of federal borrowers owe less than $20,000 in student loan debt. 10% of borrowers owe more than $100,000. The federal government forgives student loans at a rate of $95.45 per indebted student borrower.
A total college debt of $120,000 would put you well, well into the top 1% of borrowers for an undergraduate degree. In fact, it would be hard to even accomplish this; you'd have to use Parent PLUS loans or private loans (for which you'd need to qualify) or both.
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.
Having a student loan will affect your credit score. Your student loan amount and payment history are a part of your credit report. Your credit reports—which impact your credit score—will contain information about your student loans, including: Amount that you owe on your loans.
Key Takeaways. Carrying student debt can affect your ability to buy a home if your debt-to-income ratio is too high. If you have too much student loan debt, you won't be able to save as much for retirement. Student loan debt can lower your credit score, especially if you fail to make on-time payments.
Education While student loans can be a financial burden, taking on debt to pay for education is generally considered "good debt" because more education can raise your future income. The typical college graduate earns $579 more per week (or $30,000 a year) than someone with a high school diploma.
There's no limit to the number of personal loans you're allowed to have. However, the amount of debt you can take on is limited to how much a lender is willing to let you borrow.
If you have $100,000 or more in student loans, paying off your full balance may seem impossible. After all, monthly payments on a 10-year, six-figure loan at 5.5% interest can set you back more than $1,000 a month. On top of that, you'll have to pay thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan.
The monthly payment on a $100,000 student loan ranges from $1,061 to $8,979, depending on the APR and how long the loan lasts. For example, if you take out a $100,000 student loan and pay it back in 10 years at an APR of 5%, your monthly payment will be $1,061.
One practical solution is Debt consolidation, which involves taking out a new loan at a lower interest rate to pay off multiple high-interest Debts. This can simplify your financial obligations and potentially reduce the amount you pay in interest.
Most students have two main options for student loans: federal (government) loans or private loans from banks, credit unions, and other lenders. You should research all your options for federal loans, also known as Direct loans, before shopping around for private loans.
The average student borrower takes 20 years to pay off their student loan debt. Some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. 21% of borrowers see their total student loan debt balance increase in the first 5 years of their loan.
Student Loan Debt Statistics in 2023
Student loan debt totals $1.74 trillion and is held by about 43.5 million Americans, with the average monthly payment amounting to $337.
It's perhaps no surprise, then, that 24% of Americans with student loan debt say it's their biggest financial regret, according to a survey from personal finance site Bankrate.
Interest can make student loans more expensive, while inflation can make that debt harder to manage alongside other bills. Paying off some of your debt during your studies could ease the burden later on and save you money on interest.
Data Summary. The average federal student loan payment is about $302 for bachelor's and $208 for associate degree-completers. The average monthly repayment for master's degree-holders is about $688.
The rise and fall of interest rates are also a logical factor. According to the Federal Reserve, 30-39 year-olds have an average student loan debt of $42,748. 40-49-year-olds possess an average student loan debt of $44,864. Borrowers 24 and younger owe an average of $14,563 in student loan debt.
On average, it takes about 10–20 years to pay off a student loan. But with the right strategy, you can pay off your loans way faster! (I'm about to blow your mind.)