The student-debt burden: online vs traditional schools

There were dueling Congressional hearings on student loans today.

The Senate Banking and Budget committees talked about what a trillion dollars in student-loan debt might mean for the economy.

Our colleague, Sally Herships reported on legislation proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts; it would allow students to refinance their federal student loans. 

We thought we’d compare the debt load for students who graduated from exclusively online program, to the debt load for students whose programs were not entirely online.  Financial-aid expert Mark Kantrowitz ran the numbers for us, based on data from  the 2011-2012 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS).

Average debt at graduation, by program type | Create Infographics

Percentage of students graduating with debt, by program type | Create Infographics