by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Defiance College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Defiance College, 79% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,307 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,276, equal to roughly 95.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Looking at all undergraduates at Defiance College, freshmen included, 77% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,749 annually. That amounts to 27.9% above the first-year federal average of $5,276.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,498 in two years and roughly $26,996 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 77% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,749 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 336 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,267,514 |
The median student at Defiance College borrows $11,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,813 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Defiance College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,971 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Defiance College.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Defiance College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 157 | $16,700 |
| Completed (graduates) | 72 | $30,425 |
| Did not complete | 85 | $12,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $361.79/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 Defiance College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 147 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 141 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 16 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Defiance College.
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 Defiance College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 350 |
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 | $8,000 |
| Middle income | $13,500 |
| High income | $14,875 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,600 |
| Independent students | $14,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Defiance College.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.