by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Academy of Art University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Academy of Art University, 50% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $7,816 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,550. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at Academy of Art University, 50% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,389 per year. This works out to 33.1% above the first-year federal average of $5,550.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,778 by year two and around $29,556 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,389 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,074 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $15,325,775 |
The middle borrower at Academy of Art University owes $11,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $31,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Academy of Art University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $48,687 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Academy of Art University.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Academy of Art University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1752 | $30,640 |
| Completed (graduates) | 573 | $56,794 |
| Did not complete | 1179 | $23,932 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $675.34/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Academy of Art University.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1716 | $31,161 |
| No Stafford loan | 36 | $13,085 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1593 | $32,821 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 159 | $14,066 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Academy of Art University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Academy of Art University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4697 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,500 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,490 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,751 |
| Independent students | $11,651 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Academy of Art University.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.