Student Loan Debt Statistics by Gender

Top student loan statistics by gender

The majority of student loan debt, 58%, is held by women
Female graduates have an average student loan debt that is 9.6% higher than their male peers one year after graduation
Women take an average of two additional years to pay off their student loans compared to men
In the first 12 years of student loan repayment, white women are only able to reduce their student loan debt by an average of 28%
Black women’s debt actually grows by 12% over the same period
Women with a bachelor’s degree earn only 81% of what men with a bachelor’s degree earn, making it more difficult for them to meet their student loan repayments
After graduation, women have to pay an average monthly repayment of $307 towards their student loans

Black and white males have a higher student loan debt than females of the same race on average
Hispanic and Asian females have a higher student loan debt than males of the same race on average

Despite having a higher average student loan debt at graduation, male students have a significantly lower student loan debt than female borrowers just 12 months later
This is partially due to the fact that women graduating with a bachelor’s degree expected to earn $35,338 on average
This is approximately 81% of what men anticipated earning
That makes it harder for women to repay their student loans
For every dollar earned by a white male, African American females earn only 61 cents and Latinas earn only 53 cents

Gender	Loan Amount 12 Months After Graduation
Male	$15,000
Female	$20,625

In 2018, around 25% of college students were parents who had dependent children
Among these parents, more than 40% were single mothers
This can also make it difficult for women to meet student loan repayments due to additional financial burdens