by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Eastern Kentucky University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Eastern, 46% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $6,797 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,838, amounting to 88.0% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Eastern, 44% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,668 each per year. That amounts to 37.8% higher than the $4,838 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,336 after two years and $26,672 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 44% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,668 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,180 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $34,540,624 |
The middle borrower at Eastern owes $14,929 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,929 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,500 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Eastern.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,266 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Eastern.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Eastern.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1745 | $12,888 |
| Completed (graduates) | 882 | $14,685 |
| Did not complete | 863 | $11,044 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $174.62/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 Eastern.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1714 | $13,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 31 | $8,126 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1571 | $13,035 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 174 | $11,272 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Eastern.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Eastern follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4114 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,257 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,023 |
| Independent students | $17,142 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Eastern.
Subsidized vs. 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.