by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Ecclesia College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Ecclesia College, 41% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $5,423 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,500, amounting to 100.0% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at Ecclesia College (freshmen included), 57% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,867 in federal loans per year. This is 24.9% more than the first-year federal average of $5,500.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,734 over two years and about $27,468 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 | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,867 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 75 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $515,012 |
The middle borrower at Ecclesia College owes $9,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,019 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Ecclesia College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $4,358 |
| 75th percentile | $12,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Ecclesia College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Ecclesia College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 20 | $8,258 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Ecclesia College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Ecclesia College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 14.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 21 |
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 | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $7,500 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,625 |
| Independent students | $9,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Ecclesia College.
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.
Important to Remember
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.