Average Student Loan Debt [2026]: by Year, Age & More

Report Highlights. The total average student loan debt (including private loan debt) may be as high as $43,619.

The average federal student loan debt is $40,467 per borrower.
Outstanding private student loan debt totals $138.8 billion.
The average student borrows over $35,000 to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
A total of 42.6 million borrowers have federal student loan debt.
It may take borrowers over 20 years to pay off their student loans.

Average Student Loan Debt

The average student loan debt grew, as the total debt grew and indebted borrower numbers stayed roughly the same.

Since the beginning of 2025, national student loan debt has increased by 3.17% in just one year.
During that same period, the total private student loan debt increased by 0.32%.
Since the beginning of 2025, total federal student loan debt has increased by 3.46%, while average federal student loan debt has also increased by 3.46% over the same one year period.
The average monthly payment among student loan holders is between $200 and $299.
University graduates owe an average of 91.7% of their original loan amount one year after leaving school, decreasing to 78.2% four years after graduation.
The average private nonprofit university student borrows $40,810 to complete a bachelor’s degree.
For-profit students borrow an average $49,300.
Postsecondary students as a whole, including those earning certificates and associate’s degrees, borrow on average $30,900 to complete their degree.

Average Student Loan Debt by State

In 2026, all states had an increase in their average student loan debt for borrowers.

In 2026, Puerto Rico saw the greatest increase in the average federal student loan debt per borrower, with each borrower owing an additional $2,490.
Wyoming’s saw the second-largest increase in average federal student loan debt, with borrowers owing and additional $2,216 each.
The average loan debt of borrowers in locations designated as “other”, which includes anyone outside the U.S. states and territories, increased by $3,392 each.
South Dakota’s student loan borrowers had an increase in their average debt by $534 each, the smallest nationwide increase.

Average Federal Student Loan Debt by State
State	Average Debt	Change from Dec 2024 to March 2026
Alabama	$37,819	+$1,338
Alaska	$35,874	+$1,335
Arizona	$35,792	+$1,322
Arkansas	$34,024	+$1,481
California	$38,300	+$1,679
Colorado	$37,393	+$1,451
Connecticut	$36,837	+$1,580
Delaware	$38,856	+$1,782
District of Columbia	$54,561	+$1,285
Florida	$39,574	+$1,588
Georgia	$42,226	+$1,587
Hawaii	$38,929	+$1,566
Idaho	$33,621	+$1,021
Illinois	$39,042	+$1,732
Indiana	$33,234	+$1,268
Iowa	$30,698	+$1,187
Kansas	$33,013	+$1,525
Kentucky	$33,691	+$1,396
Louisiana	$34,821	+$1,346
Maine	$34,355	+$1,551
Maryland	$43,781	+$1,808
Massachusetts	$35,400	+$1,686
Michigan	$36,973	+$1,653
Minnesota	$34,163	+$1,431
Mississippi	$37,552	+$1,457
Missouri	$35,650	+$1,374
Montana	$34,215	+$1,387
Nebraska	$32,206	+$1,469
Nevada	$34,756	+$1,123
New Hampshire	$34,860	+$1,369
New Jersey	$37,287	+$1,888
New Mexico	$34,256	+$1,143
New York	$38,751	+$1,915
North Carolina	$38,929	+$1,526
North Dakota	$29,115	+$1,428
Ohio	$35,072	+$1,239
Oklahoma	$32,245	+$1,238
Oregon	$38,036	+$1,462
Pennsylvania	$36,120	+$1,422
Puerto Rico	$32,239	+$2,490
Rhode Island	$33,400	+$668
South Carolina	$38,715	+$1,423
South Dakota	$31,171	+$534
Tennessee	$37,054	+$1,610
Texas	$33,770	+$1,244
Utah	$33,872	+$1,557
Vermont	$37,760	+$1,010
Virginia	$40,287	+$1,629
Washington	$36,709	+$1,431
West Virginia	$32,343	+$1,385
Wisconsin	$32,619	+$1,227
Wyoming	$30,631	+$2,216
Other	$48,421	+$3,392

Find more detailed research in our report on the Average Student Loan Debt by State.

Average Student Loan Debt by Year

The average federal student loan debt has more than doubled since 2007.
The average overall federal student debt has increased by 122%, or a CAGR of 4.25% each year since 2007.
The average Stafford Loan balance increased 34.0%, while the average Grad PLUS loan balance increased 66.5% since 2014.
The average federal student loan debt increased by 3.56% from 2025 to 2026.

Average Federal Student Loan Debt by Year
Year	Total Loans	Stafford Loans
2007	$18,233	N/A
2008	$19,297	N/A
2009	$20,467	N/A
2010	$21,860	N/A
2011	$23,238	N/A
2012	$24,757	N/A
2013	$26,267	N/A
2014	$27,759	$20,054
2015	$29,144	$20,863
2016	$30,548	$21,663
2017	$32,086	$22,356
2018	$33,547	$23,175
2019	$35,205	$23,997
2020	$36,510	$24,716
2021	$37,113	$25,000
2022	$37,575	$25,249
2023	$37,088	$25,116
2024	$38,375	$25,670
2025	$39,547	$26,244
2026	$40,467	$26,872

Find more detailed research in our report on the Average Student Loan Debt by Year.

Average Student Loan Debt by Age

Those aged between 50 to 61 have the highest average federal student loan debt at $48,875.
5.05% of federal student loan debt belongs to adults under the age of 25.
Adults aged 25 to 34 years old hold 28.9% of the federal student loan debt; 42.5% belongs to 35- to 49-year-olds.
26.9% of federal student loan debt is from borrowers aged 50 years and older.
61- to 63-year-olds who started college at a traditional age of 18 had the highest starting student loan interest rates.

Find more detailed research in our report on Student Loan Debt by Age.

Average Student Loan Debt by Race or Ethnicity

Note: This report uses categories and terminology that conform to the data source material.

Among Black women, the average student loan debt balance grows 13% within 12 years of beginning school.
Among black men, the average debt balance grows 11% over 12 years.
The average federal student loan debt among Black and African American borrowers upon graduation with a bachelor’s is $38,760 and is the highest among all racial groups.
The average white student borrower upon graduation with a bachelor’s owes $29,520 in federal loans.
Asian college graduates are the fastest to repay their student loan debt.

Find more detailed research in our report on Student Loan Debt by Race

Average Student Loan Debt by Sex or Gender

Note: Submissions from students who identify as transgender, non-binary, or other gender minority identities surveys are too few in number to derive any meaningful data. Some sources use the terms “sex” and “gender” interchangeably.

60.3% of student loan debt belongs to women; Black women have the highest average amount of student debt.
Surveyed federal student loan borrowers who identify as a gender minority borrow 4.36% less than the average non-gender minority borrower.
A higher percentage of women borrow federal student loans than men, borrow higher amounts, and pay them back slower than men.
Professional doctorate programs are the only degree level at which men borrow more in student loans than women.

Find more detailed research in our report on Student Loan Debt by Sex or Gender

Average Student Loan Debt by Educational Attainment Level

Student loan borrowers who hold a bachelor’s degree owe an average of $36,710.
Borrowers who hold master’s degrees owe an average of $80,550.
The average law school debt is approximately $164,110.
The average medical school debt is approximately $232,100.

Average Student Loan Debt Among Graduate Degree Holders
Degree	Total Student Loan Debt	Graduate Debt Only
Postbaccalaureate Certificate	$71,050	$54,580
Master’s	$80,550	$62,820
Master of Arts	$93,840	$71,140
Master of Business Administration	$77,750	$60,410
Master of Education	$66,830	$44,640
Master of Science	$75,470	$61,380
Doctorate, Research	$84,540	$85,640
Doctorate, Professional	$208,310	$197,750
Doctor of Education	$79,790	$66,710
Medical Degree	$232,100	$223,630
Law Degree	$164,110	$154,650

See our report on Educational Attainment Statistics to find additional related data.

Average Student Loan Debt by Institution Type

Students who used their federal loans to attend public institutions owe an average of $29,694.
The average student who attended a private, nonprofit institution owes $44,100.
Students who attended proprietary or for-profit private institutions owe an average of $22,509.
Students of foreign institutions owe an average of $125,000.
A little over 8.4 million borrowers who attended other types of institutions owe an average of $5,833 each in student loan debt.

Average Federal Loan Debt

Some borrowers have multiple federal loans. Presumably, many federal loan holders also have private student loan debt.

42% of students who borrow money to attend school are still paying off loans 20 years later.
The average Stafford loan holder owes $26,872.
Subsidized Stafford loans carry an average balance of $9,970.
Unsubsidized Stafford loans have an average balance of $20,646.
The average Grad PLUS loan has an outstanding balance of $68,579.
Parent PLUS loans average $33,686.
Consolidated federal loans have an average remaining balance of $58,209.
Though discontinued in 2017, a number of Perkins loans carry an outstanding balance, averaging $3,375 per loan.
55.2% of federal borrowers owe less than $20,000 in student loan debt.
9.0% of borrowers owe more than $100,000.
The federal government forgives student loans at a rate of $101 per indebted student borrower.