Notes: Total loans reflect the amount of loan dollars awarded to first-time, full-time undergraduates at public two- and four-year institutions. Share of undergraduates with federal loans is restricted to first-time, full-time undergraduates. Average debt of bachelor’s completers is the cumulative debt among completers who borrowed at public and private four-year institutions. Undergraduate loan data not available for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Average Debt for Completers data not available for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or Guam.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS, Student Financial Aid, 2008-2017 and The Institute for College Access and Success, The Project on Student Debt, Class of 2019.
Research Analyst, Policy Analysis and Research
303.541.0313 cfalkenstern@wiche.edu
Colleen Falkenstern serves as a research analyst in WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit. In her role, she supports the development of WICHE’s annual data resources—Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, Benchmarks (of access and success), and Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West. She also provides analytical support for WICHE’s quadrennial projections of high school graduates, Knocking at the College Door. She received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina—Columbia and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Denver.