by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Excelsior 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at Excelsior University, freshmen included, 34% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $7,443 in federal loans per year.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,886 over two years and about $29,772 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,443 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,314 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $32,108,053 |
The middle borrower at Excelsior University owes $10,870 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,870 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,769 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,833 |
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 Excelsior University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,250 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Excelsior University.
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 Excelsior University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1324 | $10,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 516 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 808 | $9,764 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Excelsior University.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1303 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 21 | $11,874 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 402 | $8,555 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 922 | $10,383 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Excelsior University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Excelsior University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 644 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,500 |
| Middle income | $11,020 |
| High income | $12,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,125 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $11,485 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Excelsior University.
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.