Trends in Higher Education


Debt patterns vary by sector: Among 2007-08 public four-year bachelor’s degree recipients, 38% graduated with no education debt, while 6% owed $40,000 or more. Among for-profit bachelor’s degree recipients, 4% had no education debt and 24% owed $40,000 or more.

Note: Data include federal loans, private loans, and loans from states and institutions. PLUS loans, credit card debt, and loans from friends and family are not included. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Data include students who attended less than half-time (13% of students), and who do not qualify for Stafford loans but do qualify for some nonfederal loans.
Source:NPSAS, 2008

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  • Among all 2007-08 bachelor’s degree recipients, 34% graduated with no education debt, while 10% had borrowed $40,000 or more.
  • The median debt for all bachelor’s degree recipients in 2007-08 was $11,000. Among the two-thirds who borrowed, median debt was about $20,000.
  • Among all bachelor’s degree recipients, median debt was about $7,960 at public institutions, $17,040 at private not-for-profit institutions, and $31,190 at for-profit institutions.
  • Among bachelor’s degree recipients who borrowed, median debt was about $17,700 at public institutions, $22,380 at private not-for-profit institutions, and $32,650 at for-profit institutions.
  • Fewer than half of associate degree and certificate recipients at two-year public colleges graduated with education debt in 2007-08.
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