by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Cornell University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Cornell, 20% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $9,964 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $3,844, or about 69.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year 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 Cornell, 18% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $4,537 in federal loans per year. That is 18.0% greater than the freshman federal average of $3,844.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $9,074 across two years and $18,148 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 18% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,537 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,862 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $12,985,578 |
The middle borrower at Cornell owes $13,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,934 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Cornell.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,501 |
| 25th percentile | $5,962 |
| 75th percentile | $19,677 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $26,633 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Cornell.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Cornell.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 987 | $35,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 831 | $38,000 |
| Did not complete | 156 | $24,178 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $451.86/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Cornell.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 947 | $34,734 |
| No Stafford loan | 40 | $56,971 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 748 | $37,709 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 239 | $27,770 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Cornell.
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 Cornell appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2751 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,800 |
| Middle income | $11,100 |
| High income | $14,170 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,155 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $9,104 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Cornell.
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.