by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Allegheny College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Allegheny, 65% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $9,154 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,550. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Allegheny, 57% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,645 annually. That is 19.7% higher than the $5,550 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,290 over two years and about $26,580 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,645 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 694 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,611,361 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Allegheny carry a median federal debt of $25,017 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $25,017 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Allegheny.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,693 |
| 75th percentile | $31,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Allegheny.
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 Allegheny.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 229 | $26,040 |
| Completed (graduates) | 150 | $30,598 |
| Did not complete | 79 | $17,425 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $363.84/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Allegheny.
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 Allegheny appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 453 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $25,000 |
| Middle income | $25,239 |
| High income | $25,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $24,684 |
| Continuing-generation students | $25,889 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $25,353 |
| Independent students | $17,124 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Allegheny.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
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.