Undergraduate Student Loans

Federal loans awarded to undergraduates in the WICHE region peaked in 2011, when the share of undergraduates with federal loans peaked at 33 percent. Since 2011 both the amount of annual federal loans awarded and the share of undergraduates receiving federal loans decreased to $568 million and 26 percent, respectively, in 2016.

For the class of 2017 in the WICHE region, 52 percent of bachelor’s degree completers graduated with debt, and the average debt at completion was about $25,000.

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, 2008-2016 and The Institute for College Access and Success, The Project on Student Debt, Class of 2017.

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