by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Elmhurst University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Elmhurst, 89% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $6,589 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,521. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Elmhurst (freshmen included), 80% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $3,817 annually. It comes to 30.9% below the first-year federal average of $5,521.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $7,634 after two years and $15,268 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 80% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,817 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,407 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,186,651 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Elmhurst carry a median federal debt of $15,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,489 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Elmhurst.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,305 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Elmhurst.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Elmhurst.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 509 | $24,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 347 | $27,470 |
| Did not complete | 162 | $17,503 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $326.65/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Elmhurst.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 440 | $25,293 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 69 | $19,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Elmhurst.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Elmhurst is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 760 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $16,750 |
| High income | $14,236 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,236 |
| Independent students | $21,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Elmhurst.
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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.