ED Releases Updated Data on Nonpayment Rates by Institution
Published March 23, 2026
By AACOM Government Relations
Higher Education OME Advocate
- On February 18, 2026, ED released updated data on institution nonpayment rates, warning that schools with high rates are at risk of losing access to federal student assistance in the future.
- The data is part of a broader push by the administration to improve loan repayment outcomes and assist institutions in understanding the delinquency and default risks associated with their borrowers.
- Institutions with a cohort default rate (CDR) greater than or equal to 30 percent in a single year are required to develop and submit a default prevention plan to the department. Institutions with high CDRs are recommended to submit a default prevention plan.
- An institution’s nonpayment rate is the percentage of Direct Loan borrowers who entered repayment since January 2020 and whose federal student loans were more than 90 days delinquent at the time of data collection. Learn more.