by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Augsburg University: 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 Augsburg, 80% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $7,158 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,691. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Augsburg, 77% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,746 in federal loans per year. This is 18.5% above the $5,691 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,492 in two years and roughly $26,984 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 77% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,746 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,852 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $12,494,202 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Augsburg carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,347 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,030 |
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 Augsburg.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,500 |
| 75th percentile | $30,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Augsburg.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Augsburg.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 438 | $15,978 |
| Completed (graduates) | 273 | $17,901 |
| Did not complete | 165 | $13,264 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $212.86/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Augsburg.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 378 | $17,950 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 60 | $10,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Augsburg.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Augsburg appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1093 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $20,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,313 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,625 |
| Independent students | $23,702 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Augsburg.
The Difference Between 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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.