Student loans now total more than $1.7 trillion with nearly 14 percent or $234 billion of the federal student loan portfolio in default.
The federally managed portfolio—which includes FFEL and Perkins program loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Direct Loans—is more than $1.64 trillion, representing more than 95 percent of the total portfolio. The remaining loans are managed by private loan servicers.
In a recent Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid (FSA) said more borrowers are at risk of default in the coming months.
“About 3.5 million recipients, are more than 30 days delinquent on their accounts,” FSA said in the announcement. “This includes approximately 1.5 million recipients in late-stage delinquency who are at risk of entering the defaulted portfolio in the next six months.”
FSA has posted a series of updates to its data center, the centralized online source for information about FSA programs and operations. This update refreshes quarterly application, disbursement, and loan portfolio reports to include data through June 30, 2026.
The data center also provides updated data on forgiveness and discharge programs, including borrower defense to repayment and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. It also includes updates to the nonpayment rate data, which helps schools understand the delinquency and default risks associated with their borrowers.
The data center, launched in 2009, provides information for businesses, institutions, the media, and individuals and with a goal of ensuring consistency, accountability, and transparency for interested stakeholders.
