How Do Your Student Loans Stack Up to the Average 25-34 Year Old?

As of September 2025, there were about 14.3 million borrowers aged 25 to 34, owing a total of $480 billion in federal student loans, according to data from the Department of Education. The average borrower in this age group has a student loan balance of about $33,566.

That’s below the average loan amount of $39,546 held by all borrowers. The age group 25 to 34 has the second-highest borrower count—about a third of the 42.8 million total.

Payment Pauses and Policy Shifts Defined Their Early Repayment

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education paused payments for all borrowers. But this pause, along with later efforts to lower monthly payments, made repayment more confusing for borrowers aged 25 to 34.

When the pandemic began, borrowers in this age group were 19 to 28. Some of these borrowers have not made a payment in almost six years, and others who graduated during or after the pandemic have also yet to make any payments.

The COVID-19 payment pause ended in 2023, and missed payments began to negatively impact borrowers’ credit or lead to default in 2024.

In addition, borrowers who entered Biden’s signature income-driven repayment plan, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), in 2023 have faced unprecedented changes to their repayment plan as lawsuits challenged the plan’s legality.

Borrowers in the SAVE plan have been in an administrative forbearance since July 2024. In December 2025, the Department of Education announced that the SAVE plan was ending. It’s still unclear when borrowers must leave the plan and how they’ll manage once payments resume.

Where These Borrowers Go From Here

Borrowers on the SAVE plan will eventually have to move to a repayment plan, but other income-driven plans could also offer low monthly payments.

Federal Student Aid’s Loan Simulator allows borrowers to compare different repayment plans and their monthly payments. In addition, a new income-driven repayment plan, the Repayment Assistance Plan, will be open for enrollment on July 1, 2026. For some borrowers, monthly payments under the RAP plan will be lower or similar to those under income-driven plans.

With payment pauses and changes to the SAVE plan confusing borrowers, millions have fallen behind on their payments. While fewer younger borrowers are delinquent on their loans than older borrowers, about 10% of the loan portfolio held by borrowers ages 18 to 29 is in serious delinquency, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

Delinquent borrowers still have time before the Department of Education garnishes their wages. Before defaulting on their loans—that means not making a payment for more than 270 days—delinquent borrowers can explore other cheaper repayment plans. Borrowers can also request forbearance or deferment from their loan servicer.