How much student loan debt does the average student accumulate?
The answer to this question depends on the type of institution a
student attended and his or her degree program. These estimates, from
the 2003-2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, are the
most recent nationally representative data on student indebtedness.
Degree
Institution
% who had
Borrowed
Median Amount
Borrowed
Certificate
Community College
21
$5,307
Proprietary School
78
$5,705
Associate
Community College
28
$5,879
Bachelor's
Public Four-year
58
$14,671
Private Four-year
69
$17,125
Master's
Public Four-year
49
$26,119
Private Four-year
73
$29,000
Doctorate
All Institutions
48
$44,743
Professional
Public Four-year
89
$63,500
Private
Four-year
81
$71,317
Additional Information
Debt
Burden: Repaying Student Debt (289KB; pdf)
This report summarizes the newest data on trends in student debt. Data
presented include the percentage of students completing undergraduate
and graduate degrees with debt and the median amount of debt these
students accrue, by type of institution. The issue brief also addresses
student use of credit cards and private student loans. This unpublished
issue brief is available only in PDF format.
