Student Loan Debt of Postsecondary Education Graduates in Iowa: 2024 - Executive Summary & Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

Report analyzing student loan debt among postsecondary education graduates in Iowa for 2024, focusing on trends over 2019–2023 and differences by sector and graduation class. It highlights a general decline in the share of graduates with loan debt over the past five years, with the Class of 2023 showing the first increases in both adjusted and unadjusted debt for four-year institutions. It quantifies 2023 outcomes and provides context on how debt affects access, cognitive and psychological functioning, and graduation likelihood, especially for underrepresented groups.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Percent of Iowa College Graduates With Student Loan Debt

Unadjusted Average Student Loan Debt

Adjusted Average Student Loan Debt

Limitations and Recommendations

References

Appendices

Appendix A. Methods

Appendix B. Unweighted Figures

Student Loan Debt of Postsecondary Education Graduates in Iowa: 2024 May 21 , 2024 Student Loan Debt of Postsecondary Education Graduates in Iowa: 2024 State of Iowa Department of Education Grimes State Office Building 400 E. 14th Street Des Moines , IA 50319-0146 Administration McKenzie Snow, Director Division of Higher Education Bureau of Iowa College Aid David Ford, Bureau Chief Christina Sibaouih, Section Chief Todd Brown, Section Chief It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, political party affiliation, or actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code sections 216.9 and 256. 10(2), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq. ), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C.§§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq. ) . If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy by the Iowa Department of Education, please contact the legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, telephone number: 515-281- 5295, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-7204, telephone number: 312-730-1560, FAX number: 312-730-1576, TDD number: 800-877-8339, email: [OCR.Chicago@ed.gov](OCR.Chicago@ed.gov) Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Percent of Iowa College Graduates With Student Loan Debt ................................................................. 5 Figure 1. Percentage of Iowa College Graduates with Student Loan Debt: 2019-2023....................... 5 Unadjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates ..................................................... 6 Figure 2. Unadjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates: 2019-2023 ................ 6 Adjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates ......................................................... 7 Figure 3. Adjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates: 2019-2023 .................... 7 Limitations and Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 8 References ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Appendices .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Appendix A. Methods ....................................................................................................................... 11 Appendix B. Unweighted Figures ..................................................................................................... 12 Unweighted Percentage of Graduates with Student Loan Debt: 2019-2023.................................. 12 Unweighted Unadjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates: 2019-2023...... 13 Unweighted Adjusted Average Student Loan Debt of Iowa College Graduates: 2019-2023.......... 14 Table sample....................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Executive Summary The perc

FAQs

What trend does the report describe for Iowa graduates with student loan debt over the past five years?

The share of graduates from Iowa colleges and universities with loan debt decreased over the past five years, primarily driven by community college graduates.

What change occurred for the Iowa Class of 2023?

For four-year institutions, the Class of 2023 is the first graduating class to show an increase in both adjusted and unadjusted student loan debt.

How large was student loan debt for graduates in 2023, according to the report?

In 2023, 54.8% of students graduated with student loan debt with an average of $26,713, implying a projected monthly payment of $290 over ten years at 5.5% interest.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan