by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Fairfield 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.
At Fairfield U, 49% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $11,268 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,369, amounting to 97.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at Fairfield U, freshmen included, 43% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,492 in federal loans per year. That is 20.9% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,369.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,984 over two years and about $25,968 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 43% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,492 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,147 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,937,517 |
The median student at Fairfield U borrows $23,251 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,251 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Fairfield U.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Fairfield U.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Fairfield U.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 401 | $47,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 302 | $50,500 |
| Did not complete | 99 | $36,300 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $600.5/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 Fairfield U.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 333 | $49,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 68 | $33,765 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Fairfield U.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Fairfield U follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 867 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,500 |
| Middle income | $23,250 |
| High income | $24,239 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $25,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,867 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $23,250 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Fairfield U.
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
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.