Student loan freeze boosted credit scores, study finds

FAN Editor

Credit scores for student loan borrowers increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the findings of a new study.

The “2022 Student Loan Update” was conducted by researchers from the Center for Microeconomic Data. 

Student protest student loans

Activists attend a rally outside the White House to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to cancel student debt. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to its findings, the credit scores of subprime borrowers – those with scores below 620 – dropped 8 percentage points to 28% of the total in 2021. The share of borrowers with scores of 660-719, meanwhile, increased 2.5 percentage points to nearly 25%. The share of “super-prime borrowers” – those with credit scores above 720 – increased by 5 percentage points to 34%. 

By the end of 2021, nearly 80% of student loan borrowers had higher credit scores, according to the study’s results. 

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The study suggested the shifting of percentages was likely due to borrowers taking advantage of the payment freeze and interest waiver to reduce balances during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Biden administration has extended the federal student loan payment freeze until Aug. 31. Forbearance was previously set to expire May 1. 

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The study drew upon the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel (CCP), a nationally representative 5% sample of all U.S. adults with an Equifax credit report, which is comparable to FICO credit scores.  

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