by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Fontbonne University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Fontbonne University, 73% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,759 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $5,691. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Fontbonne University, 66% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $9,615 a year. That amounts to 69.0% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,691.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $19,230 across two years and $38,460 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 | 66% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,615 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 419 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,028,594 |
The median student at Fontbonne University borrows $16,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Fontbonne University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,958 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,009 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Fontbonne University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Fontbonne University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 179 | $17,075 |
| Completed (graduates) | 116 | $20,962 |
| Did not complete | 63 | $13,995 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $249.26/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 Fontbonne University.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 162 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 17 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Fontbonne 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 Fontbonne University is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1006 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,730 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $17,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,667 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,583 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Fontbonne University.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Did You Know?
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.