{"version":"2026-state-of-american-student-debt","name":"SwitchWize State of American Student Debt","snapshotDate":"2026","citeAs":"SwitchWize, \"The State of American Student Debt: 2026 Report.\" Retrieved 2026.","sourcePage":"https://www.switchwize.com/learn/state-of-american-student-debt-2026","headline":{"totalStudentDebtUsd":1860000000000,"federalStudentDebtUsd":1700000000000,"federalBorrowers":42600000,"inDefault":9500000,"delinquency90PlusPct":10.3},"byAgeAverageBalanceUsd":[{"ageBand":"under-25","average":13569},{"ageBand":"35-49","average":45433},{"ageBand":"50-61","average":48672}],"repaymentChange":{"saveEnding":true,"rapEffectiveDate":"2026-07-01","rapPaymentPctOfIncomeRange":[1,10],"rapForgivenessYears":30,"note":"RAP waives unpaid interest and adds up to $50/month toward principal; $10 minimum payment."},"sources":[{"label":"Federal Reserve / New York Fed","detail":"Total balances and 90+ day delinquency.","url":"https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc"},{"label":"US Department of Education / Education Data Initiative","detail":"Borrower counts, default totals, average balance by age."},{"label":"Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)","detail":"Enacted; effective July 1, 2026."}],"methodology":{"summary":"Student debt increasingly follows borrowers into midlife: the average federal balance peaks at ages 50-61, driven by graduate loans, Parent PLUS, and decades-long income-driven repayment.","caveat":"Default and delinquency counts reflect early 2026 as payments resumed after the pandemic pause; policy is changing."}}