ERIC Adds New NCES Stats in Brief Report on Federal Student Loan Debt Burden of Noncompleters

June 03, 2013

 Back to ERIC News

ERIC now includes the new National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Statistics In Brief report Federal Student Loan Debt Burden of Noncompleters. The report focuses on the federal student debt burden accrued by students who do not complete a postsecondary credential within 6 years of enrolling. It is based on data from the two most recent longitudinal studies of beginning postsecondary students conducted by NCES: students who first enrolled in 1995-96 (as of 2001) and those who first enrolled in 2003-04 (as of 2009).

• In 2009, the percentage of noncompleters after 6 years ranged from 19 percent of students in private nonprofit 4-year institutions to 46 percent in public 2-year colleges or for-profit institutions. An increase in noncompletion between 2001 and 2009 was observed only for students in for-profit institutions (35 percent to 46 percent).
• In 2009, borrowing rates among noncompleters from federal student loan programs ranged from 25 percent of students in public 2-year colleges to 86 percent of students in for-profit institutions; comparable rates for noncompleters in 4-year public and 4-year private nonprofit institutions were 54 percent and 66 percent, respectively.
• In 2009, the cumulative amount borrowed per credit earned was highest for noncompleters in for-profit institutions ($350 per credit, compared with $80 to $190 per credit in the other three sectors).
• In 2009, the median cumulative federal student debt for all noncompleters amounted to 35 percent of their annual income; debt burden was highest for students in 4-year private nonprofit institutions (median debt equaled 51 percent of borrowers' annual income). Debt burden among noncompleters who started in for-profit institutions increased from 20 percent to 43 percent of annual income between 2001 and 2009.

The National Center for Education Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. For more information about the NCES and its work, visit http://nces.ed.gov