by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus: 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 FDU specifically, 50% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $8,022 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,293, which is 96.2% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at FDU, 44% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $7,186 each per year. It comes to 35.8% more than the first-year federal average of $5,293.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,372 after two years and $28,744 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 | 44% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,186 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,131 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,126,908 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at FDU carry a median federal debt of $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 FDU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at FDU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at FDU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 966 | $26,961 |
| Completed (graduates) | 597 | $30,444 |
| Did not complete | 369 | $21,292 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $362.01/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at FDU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 825 | $28,366 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 141 | $17,950 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for FDU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for FDU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2150 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $22,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at FDU.
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.
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.