by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Clarke University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Clarke, 77% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $8,259 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,528. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Clarke, 74% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $10,919 per year. It comes to 97.5% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,528.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $21,838 across two years and $43,676 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 74% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,919 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 587 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,409,544 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Clarke carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,717 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Clarke.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,826 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,955 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Clarke.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Clarke.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 139 | $20,030 |
| Completed (graduates) | 75 | $33,000 |
| Did not complete | 64 | $15,092 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $392.41/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Clarke.
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 Clarke is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 327 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,000 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $26,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Clarke.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.