‘Money-Losers’: Student Loan Costs Have ‘Exploded’ Over the Last Decade to $340 Billion More Than Projected
Student loan repayments and interest were projected to generate $135 billion for the federal government — but ten years later, that’s not how things have shaped up.

The cost of federal student loan programs has “exploded” in the last ten years, transforming them from what was expected to be a “money-maker” for taxpayers to a “significant money-loser” for the federal government, according to a fiscal watchdog’s new report.
The programs over the past decade have cost hundreds of billions of dollars more than originally projected, a report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, states, citing new data from the Congressional Budget Office. The estimated federal cost of student loans from 2015 to 2024 has “increased by $340 billion — from a projected gain of $135 billion in the 2014 baseline to an expected loss of $205 billion in the 2024 baseline,” it says, adding that even the $340 billion cost is likely an “underestimate.”
A login link has been sent to
Enter your email to read this article.
Get 2 free articles when you subscribe.