by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Clark 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.
Among first-year students at Clark, 60% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $7,782 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,472, or about 99.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Clark (freshmen included), 59% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,455 a year. It comes to 18.0% above the $5,472 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,910 across two years and $25,820 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 59% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,455 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,368 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,830,241 |
The median student at Clark borrows $22,141 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,141 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,759 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Clark.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $28,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,682 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Clark.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Clark.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 194 | $25,653 |
| Completed (graduates) | 134 | $27,407 |
| Did not complete | 60 | $20,354 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $325.9/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Clark.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 181 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 13 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Clark.
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 Clark follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 501 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $23,442 |
| Middle income | $22,144 |
| High income | $20,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,981 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $21,769 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Clark.
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.
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.