by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Carroll University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Carroll U, 71% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $8,919 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $6,993. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Carroll U, 60% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $8,567 a year. This works out to 22.5% higher than the $6,993 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $17,134 after two years and $34,268 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 60% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,567 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,522 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,038,441 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Carroll U carry a median federal debt of $22,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Carroll U.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Carroll U.
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 Carroll U.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 365 | $26,266 |
| Completed (graduates) | 244 | $32,186 |
| Did not complete | 121 | $19,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $382.73/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Carroll U.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 345 | $26,266 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 20 | $26,311 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Carroll U.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Carroll U follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 849 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,625 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $23,250 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $22,500 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Carroll U.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
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.