05/27/2026
🚨The US student loan crisis is intensifying:
Delinquent federal student loan debt surged by $12.2 billion in Q1 2026, reaching a record $171.4 billion and eclipsing the previous peak of $166.8 billion set in Q4 2019.
This figure has more than doubled since 2012, reflecting a prolonged decline in borrowers' ability to service their debt over the past decade.
Notably, 2.6 million borrowers defaulted on student loans in Q1 2026, following 1.0 million in Q4 2025.
👉🏼The average borrower entering default is approaching 40 years old, up from 36.4 prior to the 2020 pandemic, indicating that the student debt crisis is increasingly affecting middle-aged Americans beyond recent graduates.
The crisis demonstrates no indication of abating.