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It presents state averages ranging from $20,000 to $36,350, shows differences in the likelihood of graduating with debt, and analyzes how private and state loan borrowing concentrates in specific college types and regions. The document also explains data limitations, outlines the methodology, and includes policy recommendations for federal and state action.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/student-debt-and-the-class-of-2016-overview-and-key-findings/586451/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/student-debt-and-the-class-of-2016-overview-and-key-findings/586451.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the report focus on regarding student loan debt?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It focuses on student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year colleges, documenting both the rise in loan debt and the variation across states and colleges. It also emphasizes nonfederal loan borrowing patterns.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What range do the state averages for debt at graduation cover?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"State averages for debt at graduation range from $20,000 in Utah to $36,350 in New Hampshire. It also reports variation in the share of graduates likely to have debt.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why does the report call for federal collection of cumulative debt data?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It explains that colleges are not required to report debt levels, and existing federal data do not capture typical bachelor’s degree debt or private loans. It argues that relying on voluntarily reported figures limits completeness and underscores the need for broader federal collection.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},586451,1792188739,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336474466712,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","acknowledgements  \nThe 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.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2016, our twelfth annual report on debt at graduation, was researched and written by TICAS’ Diane Cheng, Debbie Cochrane, and Veronica Gonzalez. Special thanks to the entire TICAS staff, virtually all of whom contributed to the report’s development and/or release. All of the college-and state-level debt data used for the report are available online at[ticas.org/posd/map-state-data](ticas.org/posd/map-state-data).  \nWe 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.  \nThis report can be reproduced, with attribution, within the terms of this Creative Commons license: [creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) .  \ntable of contents: student debt and the class of 2016  \nOVeRVIeW AnD Key FInDInGS  \nAbout This Report and the Data We Used  \nA Note About Student Debt Averages Nationwide STuDenT DeBT AT COLLeGeS  \nA Note on Student Debt at For-Profit Colleges STuDenT DeBT By STATe  \nTable 1: High-Debt States  \nTable 2: Low-Debt States  \nStudent Debt and College (Un)Affordability  \nTable 3: Percentage of Graduates with Debt and Average Debt of Those with Loans, by State  \nPRIVATe (nOn FeDeRAL) LOAnS  \nLoans from Private Banks and Lenders  \nState Loans  \nDATA On DeBT AT GRADuATIOn  \nTable 4: Comparison of Available Annual Data on Debt at Graduation WhAT COLLeGeS AnD STATeS CAn DO  \nInstitutional Policy Ideas for Reducing Debt Burdens  \nState Policy Ideas for Reducing Debt Burdens  \nFeDeRAL POLICy ReCOMMenDATIOnS TO ReDuCe The BuRDen OF STuDenT DeBT  \nMeThODOLOGy: WheRe The nuMBeRS COMe FROM AnD hOW We uSe TheM  \n1  \n1  \n2  \n3  \n4  \n5  \n5  \n5  \n6  \n7  \n9  \n9  \n10  \n11  \n11  \n12  \n12  \n13  \n14  \n19  \noverview and key findings  \nNew college-level data on nonfederal loan borrowing show that private loan and state loan borrowing is concentrated in particular college types and states.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2016 is TICAS’ twelfth 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 for-profit colleges report what their graduates owe.  \nState averages for debt at graduation ranged from a low of $20,000 (Utah) to a high of $36,350 (New Hampshire), and new graduates’ likelihood of having debt varied from 43 percent (Utah) to 77 percent (West Virginia) . In 17 states, average debt was more than $30,000 . Many of the same states appear at the high and low ends of the spectrum as in previous years. High-debt states remain concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, and low-debt states are mainly in the West. See page 7 for a complete state-by-state table. At the college level, average debt at graduation covers an enormous range, from $4,600 to $59,100 .  \nThe burden of student debt is not just about how much debt students have, but also about what types of loans they took out. New college-level data on nonfederal loan borrowing show that private loan and state loan borro","cbCailWtvbY2Lfxc","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailWtvbY2Lfxc","pdf",615639,26,"English","# Overview and Key Findings\n## About This Report and the Data We Used\n## Student Debt at Colleges\n## Student Debt by State\n## Student Debt and College (Un)Affordability\n## Private (Non-Federal) Loans\n## Data on Debt at Graduation\n## What Colleges and States Can Do\n## Federal Policy Recommendations\n## Methodology: Where the Numbers Come From and How We Use Them","[{\"question\":\"What does the report focus on regarding student loan debt?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year colleges, documenting both the rise in loan debt and the variation across states and colleges. It also emphasizes nonfederal loan borrowing patterns.\"},{\"question\":\"What range do the state averages for debt at graduation cover?\",\"answer\":\"State averages for debt at graduation range from $20,000 in Utah to $36,350 in New Hampshire. It also reports variation in the share of graduates likely to have debt.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the report call for federal collection of cumulative debt data?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that colleges are not required to report debt levels, and existing federal data do not capture typical bachelor’s degree debt or private loans. It argues that relying on voluntarily reported figures limits completeness and underscores the need for broader federal collection.\"}]","Student Debt and the Class of 2016 - Overview and Key Findings | PDF",1792057953,66]