U.S. Department of Education and Federal Student Aid logo (Start Here. Go Further.) National Student Loan Two-year Default Rates return to main page

graph of two-year default rates, fiscal years 1987 to 2011

National CDR—All Years
Cohort Year CDR Total Default Total Repay
2011 10.0% 475,538 4,739,481
2010 9.1% 374,940 4,100,778
2009 8.8% 320,194 3,628,846
2008 7.0% 238,852 3,378,734
2007 6.7% 225,371 3,345,534
2006 5.2% 204,507 3,911,640
2005 4.6% 161,951 3,495,584
2004 5.1% 144,128 2,825,462
2003 4.5% 115,568 2,551,432
2002 5.2% 125,696 2,393,776
2001 5.4% 130,036 2,380,741
2000 5.9% 142,378 2,399,774
1999 5.6% 130,861 2,299,533
1998 6.9% 153,028 2,208,262
1997 8.8% 188,832 2,153,253
1996 9.6% 197,338 2,045,595
1995 10.4% 199,346 1,918,453
1994 10.7% 199,233 1,866,240
1993 11.6% 212,062 1,826,625
1992 15.0% 299,881 1,994,925
1991 17.8% 380,346 2,135,595
1990 22.4% 551,208 2,460,102
1989 21.4% 619,229 2,900,297
1988 17.2% 440,790 2,561,183
1987 17.6% 418,717 2,381,087

  • The cohort default rate is the percentage of borrowers who enter repayment in a fiscal year and default by the end of the next fiscal year.
  • The Department issues default rates according to the fiscal year that borrowers entered repayment. For example, the fiscal year 2011 default rate is based on students that entered repayment between 10/1/2010 and 9/30/2011. The Department publishes default rates approximately two years after the fiscal year that students enter repayment.
  • The Department issued the first national default rates for fiscal year 1987 in calendar year 1989. Direct loan data was included for the first time with the fiscal year 1995 rates.
  • Effective July 1, 2010, schools are no longer eligible to make FFEL Loans.
  • In accordance with the Default Prevention and Management Initiative, the Department imposed congressionally mandated sanctions for the first time with the release of the fiscal year 1989 rates in calendar year 1991. Nearly 1,200 schools have lost student loan program eligibility since the beginning of the Default Management Initiative.
  • The fiscal year 2011 rate included 6,047 schools. There has been an increase in the FY 2011 cohort default rate over last year's rate.

 

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