[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-586523-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-586523-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","student-debt-and-the-class-of-2018-overview-and-key-findings","Student Debt and the Class of 2018 - Overview and Key Findings","","Student Debt and the Class of 2018 presents TICAS’ fourteenth annual analysis of student loan debt among recent graduates from four-year colleges. It summarizes national patterns in debt at graduation, including the share of seniors who borrowed and changes in average debt from the prior class. The report also documents variation across states and colleges, highlights the role of nonfederal loans, and discusses policy and affordability factors influencing debt burdens for borrowers.",{"@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-2018-overview-and-key-findings/586523/",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-2018-overview-and-key-findings/586523.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What share of graduating seniors had student loans, and how did average debt change from the prior class?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"About two in three (65%) graduating seniors had student loans. Their average debt was $29,200, a 2% increase from the Class of 2017.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How much variation in debt at graduation exists across states?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"State averages range from $19,750 (Utah) to $38,650 (Connecticut). The likelihood of having debt varies from 36% (Utah) to 76% (New Hampshire).",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What role do nonfederal loans play in student debt at graduation?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"About 17% of the Class of 2018’s debt nationally was comprised of nonfederal loans. The report notes these loans typically provide fewer consumer protections and are more costly than federal 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},586523,1792062399,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,119,122,126],{"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":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},"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":112,"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 is a trusted source of research, design, and advocacy for student-centered public policies that promote affordability, accountability, and equity in higher education. To learn more about TICAS, visit [ticas.org](ticas.org) and follow us on Twitter at @TICAS org.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2018, our fourteenth annual report on debt at graduation, was researched and written by TICAS’ Veronica Gonzalez, Lindsay Ahlman, and Ana Fung. 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 [https://ticas.org/interactive-map/](https://ticas.org/interactive-map/. The)[. The](https://ticas.org/interactive-map/. 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, the 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  \nOverview and Key Findings  \nAbout This Report and the Data We Used  \nNational Trends in Student Debt for College Graduates: State Funding and Other Factors  \nFigure 1: Average Debt of Graduating Seniors who Borrowed  \nFigure 2: Changes in Per-Student State Support and Borrowing at Public Colleges How Successfully are Bachelor’s Degree Recipients Repaying their Loans?  \nStudent 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  \nStudent Debt at Colleges  \nStudent Debt at For-Profit Colleges  \nData on Debt at Graduation  \nTable 4: Comparison of Available Annual Data on Debt at Graduation  \nPrivate (Nonfederal) Loans  \nWhat 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 Methodology: Where the Numbers Come From and How We Use Them  \n4  \n5  \n6  \n6  \n7  \n9  \n10  \n10  \n10  \n11  \n13  \n14  \n15  \n16  \n17  \n18  \n18  \n19  \n21  \n26  \nOverview and Key Findings  \nNationally, about two in three (65%) graduating seniors had student loans. Their average debt was $29,200, a 2% increase from the Class of 2017.  \nStudent Debt and the Class of 2018 is TICAS’ fourteenth annual report on the student loan debt of recent graduates from four-year colleges, documenting changes and variation in student debt across states and 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%) college seniors who graduated from public and private nonprofit colleges in 2018 had student loan debt, the same share as the Class of 2017. Borrowers from the Class of 2018 owed an average of $29,200, a 2 percent increase from the average of $28,650 in 2017.  \nState averages for debt at graduation ranged from $19,750 (Utah) to $38,650 (Connecticut), and new graduates’ likelihood of having debt varied from 36 percent (Utah) to 76 percent (New Hampshire) . In 21 states, average debt was more than $30,000 . Many of the same states appear at t","cbCaitkjT8Wm7MdC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitkjT8Wm7MdC","pdf",1237206,32,"English","# Overview and Key Findings\n# About This Report and the Data We Used\n# National Trends in Student Debt for College Graduates: State Funding and Other Factors\n# Student Debt by State\n# Student Debt at Colleges\n# Student Debt at For-Profit Colleges\n# Data on Debt at Graduation\n# What Colleges and States Can Do\n# Methodology: Where the Numbers Come From and How We Use Them","[{\"question\":\"What share of graduating seniors had student loans, and how did average debt change from the prior class?\",\"answer\":\"About two in three (65%) graduating seniors had student loans. Their average debt was $29,200, a 2% increase from the Class of 2017.\"},{\"question\":\"How much variation in debt at graduation exists across states?\",\"answer\":\"State averages range from $19,750 (Utah) to $38,650 (Connecticut). The likelihood of having debt varies from 36% (Utah) to 76% (New Hampshire).\"},{\"question\":\"What role do nonfederal loans play in student debt at graduation?\",\"answer\":\"About 17% of the Class of 2018’s debt nationally was comprised of nonfederal loans. The report notes these loans typically provide fewer consumer protections and are more costly than federal loans.\"}]","Student Debt and the Class of 2018 - Overview and Key Findings | PDF",1792058241,81]