by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Butler University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Butler, 49% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $10,945 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,483, equal to roughly 99.7% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Butler, 42% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,650 annually. This is 21.3% higher than the $5,483 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,300 in two years and roughly $26,600 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,650 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,827 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $12,149,937 |
The middle borrower at Butler owes $22,238 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,238 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
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 Butler.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $13,000 |
| 75th percentile | $28,520 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,400 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Butler.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Butler.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 537 | $43,611 |
| Completed (graduates) | 405 | $52,434 |
| Did not complete | 132 | $30,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $623.5/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Butler.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 491 | $47,441 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 46 | $13,400 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Butler.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Butler follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 828 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,000 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $22,812 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,356 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $22,000 |
| Independent students | $23,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Butler.
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?
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.