- Over the decade from 2001/02 to 2011/12, published in-state tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased at an average rate of 5.6% per year beyond the rate of general inflation. (Source: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2011, p. 13.)
- Although the average increase in tuition and fees at public four-year colleges in 2011/12 is 8.3% for in-state students and 5.7% for out-of-state students, 20% of full-time students at public four-year colleges and universities attend institutions that increased their published prices by 12% or more, and 10% attend institutions that increased their prices by less than 3%. (Source: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2011, p. 12.)
- Half of all full-time students at public and private nonprofit four-year colleges attend institutions charging tuition and fees of $9,936 or less, and half attend institutions with published prices of $9,936 or more. (Source: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2011, p. 3.)
- Among students beginning their studies in 2003/04, about 19% of bachelor’s degree completers—and about 13% of students who last attended a four-year institution but did not complete a bachelor’s degree—accumulated more than $28,000 in student debt. (Source: The College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2011, p. 18.)
- About 56% of students who earned bachelor’s degrees in 2009/10 from the public four-year colleges at which they began their studies graduated with debt. Average debt per borrower was $22,000, up from $19,800 (in 2010 dollars) a decade earlier. (Source: The College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2011, p. 19.)
- About 65% of students who earned bachelor’s degrees in 2009/10 from the private nonprofit four-year colleges at which they began their studies graduated with debt. Average debt per borrower was $28,100, up from $22,600 (in 2010 dollars) a decade earlier. (Source: The College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2011, p. 19.)
- In fiscal year 2010, private collection agencies under contract with the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and Financial Management Service had referrals of $35.9 billion in delinquent federal debt. In fiscal year 2010, these private collection agencies collected $777 million. Student loan consolidations and rehabilitations arranged by private collection agencies for the Department of Education in fiscal year 2010 accounted for an additional $1.7 billion reduction of delinquent debt. (Source: Report to the Congress - U.S. Government Receivables and Debt Collection Activities of Federal Agencies Fiscal Year 2010.)
- Two types of the Department of Education’s programs accounted for almost all of its receivables: Federal Direct Student Loans ($230.2 billion) and Defaulted Guaranteed Student Loans ($35.9 billion). (Source: Report to the Congress - U.S. Government Receivables and Debt Collection Activities of Federal Agencies Fiscal Year 2010.)
- The Department of Education’s direct student loan portfolio has grown significantly over the last several years and the trend is continuing. The department’s direct loan portfolio has increased from $71.8 billion at the end of FY 2001 to $230.2 billion at the end of FY2010, and by $73.4 billion in FY 2010 alone. (Source: Report to the Congress - U.S. Government Receivables and Debt Collection Activities of Federal Agencies Fiscal Year 2010.)
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