by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art— 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.
Looking at the entering class at Cooper Union, 22% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $5,557 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,557, equal to roughly 82.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Cooper Union, 21% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $5,819 each per year. It comes to 27.7% higher than the $4,557 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,638 after two years and $23,276 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 | 21% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,819 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 189 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,099,796 |
The middle borrower at Cooper Union owes $12,375 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,375 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Cooper Union.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,900 |
| 25th percentile | $5,000 |
| 75th percentile | $23,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $26,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Cooper Union.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Cooper Union.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 37 | $17,804 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Cooper Union.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Cooper Union appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 81 |
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 | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $10,000 |
| High income | $13,867 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,875 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Cooper Union.
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
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.