by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Adrian College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Adrian specifically, 77% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $7,942 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,267, which is 95.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Adrian (freshmen included), 73% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,403 per year. It comes to 21.6% larger than the $5,267 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,806 across two years and $25,612 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 73% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,403 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,187 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,600,680 |
The middle borrower at Adrian owes $16,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Adrian.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,235 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Adrian.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Adrian.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 367 | $23,780 |
| Completed (graduates) | 192 | $38,405 |
| Did not complete | 175 | $14,995 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $456.68/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Adrian.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Adrian follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 361 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $14,990 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,250 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Adrian.
The Difference Between 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.
Worth Knowing
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.