by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Andrews University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Andrews, 30% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $6,967 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,837. 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.
For undergraduates overall at Andrews, 32% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $7,227 in federal loans per year. This is 23.8% greater than the $5,837 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,454 by year two and around $28,908 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,227 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 394 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,847,448 |
The middle borrower at Andrews owes $19,716 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,716 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Andrews.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $33,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $48,375 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Andrews.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Andrews.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 456 | $24,575 |
| Completed (graduates) | 242 | $27,219 |
| Did not complete | 214 | $21,886 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $323.66/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Andrews.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 381 | $26,184 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 75 | $17,850 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Andrews.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Andrews appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 573 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,000 |
| Middle income | $19,000 |
| High income | $19,350 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,444 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Andrews.
Subsidized and 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.
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.