Fact Sheets about Student Debt and Financial Aid

Quick Facts About Student Debt
January 2010

Useful one-page fact sheet about average student debt across all sectors of higher education and Pell Grants. 

Private Loans: Facts and Trends
August 2009

Private student loans are one of the riskiest ways to finance a college education. Like credit cards, they usually have variable interest rates that are higher for those who can least afford them. Analysis of federal data from 2007-08 reveals that two-thirds of private loan borrowers did not take out all they could in safer, more affordable federal loans.

High Hopes, Big Debts (Class of 2008)
May 2010

This fact sheet focuses on students who borrow $40,000 or more for their undergraduate education - almost twice the average debt for four-year college graduates. While still a minority, the number of students carrying such heavy debt is growing quickly.

Quick Facts about Financial Aid and Community Colleges, 2007-08
May 2009

This fact sheet focuses on community college students who apply for financial aid and attend full time. About one in four full-time college students in the U.S. — 2.2 million students — attends a community college.

Financial Aid Facts at California Community Colleges
March 2010

This fact sheet compares the California Community College (CCC) financial aid application rates to the rest of the country, and also examines the inadequacy of financial aid that some CCC students do receive.