Federal student loan repayment
Federal loan borrowers in repayment: 18.7 million. Federal loan borrowers in deferment: 3.2 million.
Adults with a postgraduate degree are especially likely to have a large amount of student loan debt. About a quarter of these advanced degree holders who borrowed (26%) owed $100,000 or more in 2023, compared with 9% of all borrowers. Overall, only 1% of all U.S. adults owed at least $100,000.
As of mid-July 2023, approximately 662,000 borrowers have qualified for forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver.
Applications are approved at roughly the same rate. 2.3% of processed applications for PSLF had been approved since the program's inception. In the program's first year, 0.32% of applications were approved. Prior to 2021, 3.3 million student loan borrowers were eligible to apply for PSLF (though only 6.9% applied).
Across 28 debt relief actions, including today's, the Administration has announced $183.6 billion in student loan forgiveness for more than 5 million borrowers since taking office. “Four years ago, President Biden made a promise to fix a broken student loan system.
The average federal student loan debt held as of the fourth quarter of 2024 is $38,375. Black Americans hold an average (median) of $26,000 in student loan debt, while white Americans have $25,000. Sixteen percent of Americans with student loans are behind on their payments.
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.
Who has the most student loan debt by race? Black adults are more likely to have student loan debt than those in other racial or ethnic groups. They are more likely than white adults to hold student debt at every level of educational attainment.
How student loans affect your credit score. Student loans are a type of installment loan, similar to a car loan, personal loan, or mortgage. They are part of your credit report, and can impact your payment history, length of your credit history and credit mix. Paying on time could help your score.
On average, people with student loans have spent just over 21 years paying back their loans. Federal student loans offer repayment plans that last from 10 to 30 years. Private student loan repayment terms vary.
According to a recent Forbes Advisor and Talker Research survey of 2,000 adults, one in three respondents said they regret using student loans to finance their education and would not choose that route again if given the opportunity.
According to Experian, average total consumer household debt in 2023 is $104,215. That's up 11% from 2020, when average total consumer debt was $92,727.
The average monthly student loan payment is an estimated $500 based on previously recorded average payments and median average salaries among college graduates. The average borrower takes 20 years to repay their student loan debt.
Here's the average debt balances by age group: Gen Z (ages 18 to 23): $9,593. Millennials (ages 24 to 39): $78,396. Gen X (ages 40 to 55): $135,841.
The standard student loan payoff time for federal student loans is 10 years. However, repayment time depends on the loan amount and how much you can pay a month. A bachelor's degree-holder with the average amount of federal loan debt would need to pay just over $300 a month to pay off their loan within 10 years.
It may take years to reestablish a good credit record. You may not be able to purchase or sell assets such as real estate. Your loan holder can take you to court. You may be charged court costs, collection fees, attorney's fees, and other costs associated with the collection process.
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.
The $1.7 trillion student debt crisis is largely due to interest that grows each year, so even borrowers who consistently repay their debt face high interest rates that keep their debt equal to what they initially borrowed — or higher.
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.
Right now, anyone who receives student loan forgiveness between 2021 and 2025 will not have to pay taxes on any amount of student debt forgiveness. PSLF or IDR forgiveness is a potential result for any borrower. However, not all borrowers will reach forgiveness.