by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Davis & Elkins College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At D&E, 60% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,270 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,410, equal to roughly 98.4% 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.
For undergraduates overall at D&E, 63% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,412 per year. This works out to 18.5% more than the first-year federal average of $5,410.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,824 over two years and about $25,648 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 63% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,412 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 431 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,763,629 |
The middle borrower at D&E owes $17,057 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,057 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 D&E.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,525 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,367 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at D&E.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at D&E.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 132 | $12,735 |
| Completed (graduates) | 60 | $15,050 |
| Did not complete | 72 | $11,705 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $178.96/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for D&E.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for D&E appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 242 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,459 |
| Middle income | $16,668 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,375 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,374 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,500 |
| Independent students | $14,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at D&E.
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.
Worth Knowing
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.