More than 1.1 million former students had student debt at the beginning of 2025. This number has steadily increased in recent years.
The number of current students with student debt has actually decreased. In 2025, 460 thousand students had student debt. That is 150 thousand fewer than in 2023, the year the basic grant was reintroduced.
Although the number of people with student debt decreased, the number of people with student debt of 50 thousand euros or more has actually increased. In 2025, 146 thousand people had a student debt of at least 50 thousand euros. That is nearly 10 thousand more than in 2024, and 113 thousand more than in 2015. More than 3 thousand people even have a debt of 100 thousand euros or more.
Nearly half of the people with student debt have a debt of less than 10 thousand euros; 4 percent have less than 500 euros in debt.
Also in 2025, the average student debt was higher than the previous year. Since the loan system was introduced in 2015, the average student debt has increased by 5.8 thousand euros to 18.2 thousand euros in 2025.
Former students have an average student debt of 18.8 thousand euros, 800 euros more than in 2024. In 2025, the debt of current students averages 16.7 thousand euros, which is 400 euros lower than the previous year.
Due to the basic grant in higher education being reintroduced, the number of students with a basic grant has been increasing since 2023. Due to sharply rising prices, students living away from home also received an extra increase in the basic grant in 2023. The total payment for the basic grant increased further in 2024, which was the first full calendar year since the reintroduction of this grant.
Also the additional grant increased in 2024, as more students became eligible for this grant. Because more students receive a higher grant, the total payment for study grants increased to 2.7 billion euros in 2024.
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