Student Debt and the Class of 2015 - Overview and Key Findings

Oct 15, 2026

Student Debt and the Class of 2015 presents an eleventh annual analysis of student loan debt among recent graduates from four-year colleges, highlighting rising borrowing and state-by-state as well as college-level variation. The report summarizes national outcomes for 2015, including the share of graduating seniors with loans, average debt, and differences in likelihood and debt levels across states and regions. It explains data limitations from voluntary reporting, details the role of nonfederal loans, and outlines policy recommendations to reduce debt burdens.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Overview and Key Findings

A Note on Student Debt at For-Profit Colleges

Student Debt at Colleges

Student Debt by State

Data on Debt at Graduation

Private (Nonfederal) Loans

Federal Policy Recommendations to Reduce the Burden

Methodology: Where the Numbers Come From and How We Use Them

acknowledgements The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to make higher education more available and affordable for people of all backgrounds. Our Project on Student Debt increases public understanding of rising student debt and the implications for our families, economy, and society. To learn more about TICAS, see [ticas.org](ticas.org) and follow us on Twitter at @TICAS_org. Student Debt and the Class of 2015, our eleventh annual report on debt at graduation, was researched and written by TICAS’ Debbie Cochrane and Diane Cheng. The college-and state-level debt data used in the report are available online at [ticas.org/posd/map-state-data](ticas.org/posd/map-state-data. Special)[. Special](ticas.org/posd/map-state-data. Special) thanks to the entire TICAS staff, virtually all of whom contributed to the report’s development and/or release. We are grateful to our foundation partners and individual donors whose support makes TICAS’work possible. Current foundation funding for our Project on Student Debt and other national research and policy work comes from the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Lumina Foundation. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of TICAS and do not necessarily reflect the views of our funders. table of contents: student debt and the class of 2015 OveRvIeW AnD Key FInDInGS 1 A nOTe On STuDenT DeBT AT FOR-PROFIT COLLeGeS 2 STuDenT DeBT AT COLLeGeS 3 STuDenT DeBT By STATe 4 Table 1: High-Debt States 4 Table 2: Low-Debt States 4 Table 3: Percentage of Graduates with Debt and Average Debt of those 5 with Loans, by State DATA On DeBT AT GRADuATIOn 7 Table 4: Comparison of Available Data 7 PRIvATe (nOn FeDeRAL) LOAnS 8 Loans from Private Banks and Lenders 8 State Loans 9 State Policy Ideas for Reducing Debt Burdens 10 FeDeRAL POLICy ReCOMMenDATIOnS TO ReDuCe The BuRDen OF 11 STuDenT DeBT MeThODOLOGy: WheRe The nuMBeRS COMe FROM AnD hOW We uSe 15 TheM overview and key findings Nationally, seven in 10 graduating seniors had student loans. Their average debt was $30,100: up 4% compared to the Class of 2014. Student Debt and the Class of 2015 is our eleventh annual report on the student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year colleges, documenting the rise in student loan debt and variation among states as well as colleges. Unless otherwise noted, the figures in this report are only for public and nonprofit colleges, because virtually no forprofit colleges report what their graduates owe. Nationally, about seven in 10 (68%) college seniors who graduated from public and private nonprofit colleges in 2015 had student loan debt, a similar share as in 2014. These borrowers owed an average of $30,100, up four percent from the 2014 average of $28,950 . At the college level, average debt at graduation ranged from $3,000 to $53,000 . State averages for debt at graduation ranged from a low of $18,850 to a high of $36,100, and new graduates’ likelihood of having debt varied from 41 percent to 76 percent. In 12 states, average debt was more than $30,000 . High-debt states remain concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, and low-debt states are mainly in the West. See page 5 for a complete state-by-state table. Almost one-fifth (19%) of the Class of 2015’s debt nationally was comprised of nonfederal loans, which provide fewer consumer protections and repayment options and are typically more costly than federal loans. While most nonfederal loans are offered by banks, some states also have loan programs designed for college students. For more on state loan programs, see page 9. about this report and the data we used Colleges are not required to report debt levels for their graduates, and available federal data do not provide the typical debt for bachelor’s degrees or include private loans. To estimate

FAQs

How many graduating seniors had student loans in 2015, according to the report?

Nationally, seven in 10 graduating seniors had student loans.

What is the reported average student debt for the Class of 2015?

Their average debt was $30,100, up 4% compared to the Class of 2014.

Why are for-profit colleges excluded from some national and state averages?

For-profit colleges are not included because so few of them report the relevant debt data; only a small subset chose to report both borrower shares and average debt.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn Holloway