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It also highlights state and college variation, discusses the role of nonfederal (private) loans, and evaluates drivers of slower debt growth alongside remaining affordability and repayment challenges.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/student-debt-and-the-class-of-2017-overview-and-key-findings/586469/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/student-debt-and-the-class-of-2017-overview-and-key-findings/586469.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What proportion of graduating seniors had student loans in 2017, and how did average debt compare with 2016?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"About two in three graduating seniors had student loans. Average debt was $28,650, only 1% higher than the 2016 average of $28,350.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How much did student debt at graduation vary across states and colleges?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"State averages ranged from $18,850 (Utah) to $38,500 (Connecticut), and the share with debt ranged from 38% to 74%. At the college level, average debt at graduation ranged from $4,400 to $58,000.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What does the report say about nonfederal (private) loans and repayment protections?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"About 15% of the Class of 2017’s debt nationally came from nonfederal loans, which offer fewer consumer protections and repayment options and are typically more costly than federal student loans.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},586469,1792165498,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"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 student debt and the  \nimplications for our families, economy, and society. To learn more about TICAS, visit [ticas.org](ticas.org) and follow us on Twitter at @TICAS_org.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2017, our thirteenth annual report on debt at graduation, was researched and written by TICAS’ Diane Cheng and Veronica Gonzalez. Special thanks to the entire TICAS staff, virtually all of whom contributed to the report’s development and 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. The data)[. The data](ticas.org/posd/map-state-data. The data) are also available with additional information on more than 12,000 U. S. colleges [at](at College-InSight.org)[ ](at College-InSight.org)[College-InSight.org](at College-InSight.org), TICAS’ higher education data site.  \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 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the Joyce 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 2017  \nOVeRVIeW AnD Key FInDInGS  \nAbout This Report and the Data We Used  \nnATIOnAL TRenDS: ReCenT SLOWDOWn In STUDenT DeBT GROWTh FOR COLLeGe GRADUATeS  \nFigure 1: Average Debt of Graduating Seniors Who Borrowed  \nHow Successfully are Bachelor’s Degree Recipients Repaying their Loans? STUDenT DeBT AT COLLeGeS  \nStudent Debt at For-Profit Colleges STUDenT DeBT By STATe  \nTable 1: High-Debt States  \nTable 2: Low-Debt States  \nTable 3: Percentage of Graduates with Debt and Average Debt of Those with Loans, by State  \nDATA On DeBT AT GRADUATIOn  \nTable 4: Comparison of Available Annual Data on Debt at Graduation PRIVATe (nOn FeDeRAL) LOAnS  \nFigure 2: Private Loan Borrowers by Federal Loan Usage 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  \n2  \n3  \n3  \n5  \n6  \n7  \n8  \n8  \n8  \n9  \n11  \n11  \n12  \n12  \n14  \n14  \n15  \n17  \n22  \noverview and key findings  \nNationally, about two in three graduating seniors had student loans.  \nTheir average debt was $28,650, only 1% higher than the Class of 2016.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2017 is TICAS’ thirteenth annual report on the student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year colleges, documenting the changes 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.  \nNationally, about two in three (65 percent) college seniors who graduated from public and private nonprofit colleges in 2017 had student loan debt, a slight decrease from 2016. These borrowers owed an average of $28,650, which is only 1 percent higher than the 2016 average of $28,350 .  \nState averages for debt at graduation ranged from a low of $18,850 (Utah) to a high of $38,500 (Connecticut), and new graduates’ likelihood of having debt ranged from 38 percent (Utah) ","cbCaijrlrAKsRGpp","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijrlrAKsRGpp","pdf",2196154,32,"English","# Overview and Key Findings\n## Nationally, Loan Coverage and Average Debt\n## State and College Variation\n## Nonfederal Loans and Repayment Options\n## Factors Behind Slower Debt Growth\n## Ongoing Affordability and Default Challenges","[{\"question\":\"What proportion of graduating seniors had student loans in 2017, and how did average debt compare with 2016?\",\"answer\":\"About two in three graduating seniors had student loans. Average debt was $28,650, only 1% higher than the 2016 average of $28,350.\"},{\"question\":\"How much did student debt at graduation vary across states and colleges?\",\"answer\":\"State averages ranged from $18,850 (Utah) to $38,500 (Connecticut), and the share with debt ranged from 38% to 74%. At the college level, average debt at graduation ranged from $4,400 to $58,000.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the report say about nonfederal (private) loans and repayment protections?\",\"answer\":\"About 15% of the Class of 2017’s debt nationally came from nonfederal loans, which offer fewer consumer protections and repayment options and are typically more costly than federal student loans.\"}]","Student Debt and the Class of 2017 - Overview and Key Findings | PDF",1792057990,81]