by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend DePaul University: 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.
Among first-year students at DePaul, 48% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $6,859 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,033, amounting to 91.5% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at DePaul, 46% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,317 each per year. It comes to 25.5% greater than the $5,033 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,634 after two years and $25,268 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,317 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 6,591 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $41,636,030 |
The middle borrower at DePaul owes $19,383 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,383 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,168 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 DePaul.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,000 |
| 25th percentile | $9,166 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,667 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at DePaul.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for DePaul.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 4271 | $35,600 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2891 | $41,563 |
| Did not complete | 1380 | $27,421 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $494.23/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at DePaul.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4172 | $35,860 |
| No Stafford loan | 99 | $27,037 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3927 | $36,944 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 344 | $23,005 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at DePaul.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for DePaul appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5793 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,702 |
| Middle income | $19,333 |
| High income | $18,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $24,999 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at DePaul.
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.