Student loans are available in over 70 countries, with many receiving government subsidies. A study looked at 44 loan schemes in 39 countries to see how much students have to repay and how much money is recovered. The analysis found that repayment and recovery ratios vary greatly across schemes. In many cases, students only need to repay a small portion of the loan, with over 40% of schemes having a repayment ratio of 40% or less. Overall, the amount of money recovered from loans is lower than expected. The study suggests ways to improve the financial outcomes of loan schemes.