by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Carnegie Institute, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Carnegie Institute, 17% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $8,467 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $8,467. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Carnegie Institute, freshmen included, 76% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $11,647 each per year. This is 37.6% more than the first-year federal average of $8,467.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $23,294 by year two and around $46,588 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $11,647 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 78 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $908,437 |
The middle borrower at Carnegie Institute owes $8,568 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,568 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,336 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,306 |
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 Carnegie Institute.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,927 |
| 25th percentile | $4,510 |
| 75th percentile | $16,653 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,633 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Carnegie Institute.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Carnegie Institute.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Carnegie Institute follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 194 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,149 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,134 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,837 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,502 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Carnegie Institute.
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.
Important to Remember
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.