Is the majority of student debt owed to the federal government?
Thursday, February 18, 2021
By Eric Smith
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YES
In the first quarter of 2020, 92% of all student debt in the United States was held in federal loans, according to a report by an academic data vendor, MeasureOne. Researchers at EducationData.org reported similar numbers.
The nearly 43 million borrowers of federal student loans owe a total of $1.57 trillion. The average borrower owes the federal government $36,510, EducationData.org reported in April 2020.
National student loan debt, including both federal and private loans, reached an all-time high of $1.7 trillion last year.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
MeasureOne.com MeasureOne: Student loan report, 2020
EducationData.org EducationData.org: Student loan debt statistics
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