by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Capstone College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Capstone College, 59% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,080 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,080. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Capstone College, 48% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $8,177 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 15.5% more than the $7,080 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $16,354 after two years and $32,708 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,177 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 117 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $956,661 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Capstone College carry a median federal debt of $9,296 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,296 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Capstone College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Capstone College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Capstone College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 46 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.