- Last year’s graduates in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania owed close to $40,000 for their bachelor’s degree, on average.
- Such high balances have become the norm.
- And federal student debt figures tell only part of the story. More students are taking on private loans to fund their education.
Student debt balances among 2020 graduates remained at an all-time high.
Last year’s borrowing graduates in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Delaware owed close to $40,000 for their bachelor’s degree, on average, according to a report by the Institute for College Access and Success.
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Average debt at graduation among undergraduate borrowers was higher than $30,000 in 19 states, and more than $35,000 in six states.
Nearly 75% of 2020 college graduates had student debt in South Dakota. More than 60% were in the red in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and many other states.
Federal student loan balances tell only part of the story. More students are taking out private students loans, too.
Graduates last year who borrowed private student loans in Washington, D.C., had an average balance of $51,750, the researchers at TICAS found. The average private student loan balance was more than $40,000 for graduates in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.
“[The debt borrowers hold continues to make their lives financially perilous,” said Sameer Gadkaree, president of TICAS.
