Across the U.S., one-third of borrowers who left grad school in 2009 hadn’t paid down any of their debt after five years. February 20, 2018February 21, 2018 / Robert Elz / Leave a comment Most students with loan balances exceeding $50,000 in 2010 had failed to pay down any debt four years later. Click the link below to download the complete report in .pdf form from the Brookings Institute. Student Loan Debt Continues to Rise