Average Student Loan Debt for a Bachelor's Degree: 2025 Analysis

Report Highlights. Students who borrowed to pursue their bachelor’s degree in 2025 took out an average of $35,639 in education loans.

61.0% of recent bachelor’s degree graduates borrowed student loans.
47% of student borrowers with bachelor’s degrees have a debt balance over $25,000.
20.7% of American households have student loan debt; among them, the average total student debt balance is $52,138.

Line graph: Student Loans per Borrower Among Bachelor's Degree Recipients, Selected Years derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Students accrue less undergraduate loan debt from a public 4-year college than private schools because tuition is partially subsidized by state funding.

Student borrowers with bachelor’s degrees took out an average of $36,394 in private education loans.
The average public college student borrowed $31,835 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in 2025; this includes federal and nonfederal loans.
Students who borrowed to earn a bachelor’s degree from a private nonprofit took out an average of $39,548 in loans.
Borrowers who earned a bachelor’s degree from a private for-profit college took out an average of $47,525 in student loans.

Line graph: Average Federal Loans for Bachelor's Program Students, Selected Years derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Bachelor’s Federal Loan Borrowing

Most student loans are federal, and most student borrowers only use federal loans.

Student borrowers with bachelor’s degrees took out an average of $28,613 in federal education loans.
Degree earners borrowed an average of $26,216 in federal loans for public bachelor’s programs.
Federal loan borrowers who earned a bachelor’s degree from a private nonprofit took out an average of $30,027.
Federal student borrowers who earned a bachelor’s degree from a private for-profit college took out an average of $36,786.
The average Subsidized Stafford* loan balance is $9,857 in late-2025.

*Federal loan available only to undergraduates; excludes bachelor’s debt in Unsubsidized Stafford and Consolidation loans, as well as Parent PLUS.

Bachelor’s Parent PLUS Borrowing

Parents who borrow for their children to attend bachelor’s programs tend to take out larger loans.

Parents who borrow federal student loans (i.e. Parent PLUS) take out an average of $54,953.
13.3% of bachelor’s degree students receive funds from Parent PLUS loans.
Parent PLUS dollars to public bachelor’s programs average $50,417.
For private nonprofit programs, Parent PLUS borrowing averages $69,855.

Line graph: Nonfederal Loans per Borrower Among Bachelor's Degree Recipients derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Bachelor’s Student Borrowing Rate

Students pursuing bachelor’s degrees are much more likely to borrow federal loans than loans from private institutions.

59.2% of bachelor’s degree earners borrow federal student loans.
14.6% of bachelor’s program students borrow nonfederal loans.
Among students who attend public bachelor’s programs, 58.7% borrow.
61.3% of students in private nonprofit bachelor’s programs borrow while students of private for-profit programs have an 82.3% borrowing rate.

Grouped bar graph: Average Total Loans to Bachelor's Students by Sex, Selected Years derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Bachelor’s Borrowing by Sex or Gender

Gender categories listed here are based on available source data. Nonbinary datasets are limited due in part to low sample sizes.

On average, female bachelor’s students borrow $1,626 more for school than their male counterparts.
Female bachelor’s students are the most likely to take on student loan debt; their borrowing rate is 21.5% higher than their male counterparts’.
A 27.6% larger share of female vs. nonbinary bachelor’s students borrow.

Line graph: Average Loans to Public Bachelor's Recipient Borrowers, Selected Years derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Female Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

While data collection methodologies may vary, source definitions indicate that “female” in this context refers specifically to cisgender women.

Female bachelor’s students borrow an average of $36,146 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to female bachelor’s students average $29,548, representing 81.7% of their student debt.
Parent PLUS loans for female bachelor’s students average $38,354.
66.1% of female bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among female bachelor’s students, 64.7% borrow federal student loans while 14.8% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 13.4% of female bachelor’s students.

Male Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Sources indicate that “male” in this context refers specifically to cisgender men.

Male bachelor’s students borrow an average $34,520 as of AY 2025-26.
Male bachelor’s students borrow $26,672 in federal loans, representing 77.3% of their loan debt.
The average nonfederal loan balance among male bachelor’s students is $39,353.
Parent PLUS loans for male bachelor’s students average $62,972.
54.4% of male bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among male bachelor’s students, 51.9% borrow federal student loans while 14.2% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 12.7% of male bachelor’s students.

Nonbinary Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Sources use the term “nonbinary” to refer to “genderqueer, gender nonconforming, or a different identity.”^[1] Even after combining these various categories into one, the sample size is small.

Based on recent trends, nonbinary bachelor’s students borrow an average of $41,539 for AY 2025-26.
Estimated federal loans to nonbinary bachelor’s students average $36,044.
51.8% of nonbinary bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among nonbinary bachelor’s students, 51.6% borrow federal student loans while 17.2% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 21.2% of nonbinary bachelor’s students.

Line graph: Average Loans to Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Recipient Borrowers, Selected Years derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Digest of Education Statistics data tables

Bachelor’s Borrowing by Race or Ethnicity

Similar to sex and gender subcategories, ethnoracial demographic categories are based on available source data.

Among ethnoracial categories, Black or African American bachelor’s degree holders have the highest student loan debt balance at graduation ($39,636 as of AY 2025-26).
Hispanic and Latin American bachelor’s degree holders have the lowest student loan debt balance at graduation ($30,344 as of AY 2025-26).
In 2012, 34% of Black women who graduated with a bachelor’s degree had more than $40,000 in student debt.
Also in 2012, 16% of Hispanic women had student debt exceeding $40,000,
10% of white women and 8% of Asian women had student loan debt in excess of $40,000.

American Indian and Native Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

A small sample size means data for this subcategory are limited.

American Indian and Alaska Native bachelor’s students borrow an average $32,633 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to American Indian and Alaska Native bachelor’s students average $31,487, representing 96.5% of their average loan debt.
38.0% of American Indian and Native bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.

Asian Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Including Asian and Asian American bachelor’s degree seekers, this subcategory of students is among the least likely to borrow for school.

Asian bachelor’s students borrow an average $37,997 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to Asian bachelor’s students average $26,618, representing 70.1% of their average loan debt.
24.1% of Asian bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among Asian bachelor’s students, 22.3% borrow federal student loans while 5.9% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 2.6% of Asian bachelor’s students.

Black or African American Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Statistics indicate that Black and African American bachelor’s students may be more likely than their peers in other ethnoracial categories to borrow from private financial institutions.

Federal loans to Black bachelor’s students average $37,609, representing 94.9% of their average loan debt.
The average nonfederal loan balance among Black bachelor’s students is $22,188.
60.0% of Black bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among Black bachelor’s students, 59.3% borrow federal student loans while 7.7% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 6.0% of Black bachelor’s students.

Hispanic or Latin American Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

In general, Hispanic and Latin American students are less likely to borrow and tend to borrow less to fund their bachelor’s studies.

Federal loans to Hispanic bachelor’s students average $25,957, representing 85.5% of their average loan debt.
32.1% of Hispanic bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among Hispanic bachelor’s students, 30.5% borrow federal student loans while 6.1% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 3.4% of Hispanic bachelor’s students.

Pacific Islander Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Data for this subcategory are limited due to the sample size. Native Hawaiian students are included here.

Pacific Islander bachelor’s degree earners represent the smallest ethnoracial demographic among program graduates (0.20%).
Pacific Islander bachelor’s students borrow an average $33,350 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to Pacific Islander bachelor’s students average $37,770, representing 113% of their average loan debt.

White or Caucasian Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Bachelor’s degree earners who self-identify as white and/or caucasian make up the largest ethnoracial subcategory by number of students, representing 55.6% graduates.

White bachelor’s students borrow an average $36,068 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to white bachelor’s students average $27,501, representing 76.2% of their average loan debt.
Parent PLUS loans among white bachelor’s student borrowers average $52,253.
40.6% of white bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among white bachelor’s students, 38.9% borrow federal student loans while 7.7% borrow private loans.
Parent PLUS loans fund 5.2% of white bachelor’s students.

Multiracial Bachelor’s Student Borrowing

Prior to AY 2010-11, U.S. Department of Education surveys required bachelor’s students of two or more races to self-identify as one race or ethnicity.

Multiracial bachelor’s students borrow an average $35,474 as of AY 2025-26.
Federal loans to multiracial bachelor’s students average $30,666, representing 86.4% of their average loan debt.
Parent PLUS loans for multiracial bachelor’s students average $45,961.
38.5% of multiracial bachelor’s degree earners take on student loan debt.
Among multiracial bachelor’s students, 37.1% borrow federal student loans while 82% borrow private loans.