by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Aurora University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Aurora, 49% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,457 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,503. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. 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 Aurora, 48% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,906 annually. That is 43.7% larger than the $5,503 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $15,812 in two years and roughly $31,624 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,906 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,938 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $15,322,261 |
The median student at Aurora borrows $15,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,318 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Aurora.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,100 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Aurora.
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 Aurora.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 886 | $17,116 |
| Completed (graduates) | 638 | $19,500 |
| Did not complete | 248 | $13,043 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $231.88/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Aurora.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 875 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 798 | $17,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 88 | $18,702 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Aurora.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Aurora appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1349 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,000 |
| Middle income | $16,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Aurora.
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.
Did You Know?
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.