College graduates need a plan to pay back any money they chose to borrow. Let's see how much that is, on average.

Answer: $35,639

Questions:

• What factors would a person have to consider when deciding if it's worth it to graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in debt?
• Are you concerned about student loan debt? Explain why or why not.
• What can a person do to minimize their debt when they graduate?
  
  

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Education Data Initiative):

"Students who borrowed to pursue their bachelor’s degree in 2025 took out an average of $35,639 in education loans.

• 61.0% of recent bachelor’s degree graduates borrowed student loans.
• 47% of student borrowers with bachelor’s degrees have a debt balance over $25,000.
• 20.7% of American households have student loan debt; among them, the average total student debt balance is $52,138."

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Played by over a million people, the game PAYBACK develops student decision-making skills required to get to and through college.

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About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.