The 500 Colleges Where Former Students Aren't Repaying Their Loans, and Why

When students attend these colleges, taxpayers often pay. Here's why

Five-hundred colleges and universities in the U.S. now share one alarming distinction: At least 40% of recent students who borrowed federal loans aren’t paying them back. That’s according to the latest federal nonpayment-rate data published by the U.S. Education Department.The data looks at the roughly 17 million borrowers who entered repayment for the first time between January 2020 and May 2025.“These numbers are really jaw-dropping,” says Eil…

The 500 colleges where former students aren't repaying their loans, and why

Federal data shows many borrowers who aren't paying their loans went to private, for-profit colleges — schools that often market to low-income students and rely on federal financial aid for revenue.

The colleges where borrowers aren't repaying their student loans

Millions of federal student loan borrowers are in default or well on their way. New federal data shows that tens of thousands of them attended the same problematic schools.

500 U.S. Colleges Show 40% or Higher Student Loan Nonpayment Rates in New Federal Data

The U.S. Department of Education has published nonpayment-rate data identifying 500 colleges and universities where at least 40% of recent federal student loan borrowers are not making payments. The data, drawn from a late-May 2026 federal analysis of roughly 17 million borrowers who entered repayment between January 2020 and May 2025, exposes a concentrated pattern …