by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Freed-Hardeman University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At FHU specifically, 49% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $12,782 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $7,804. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at FHU, 52% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $8,200 a year. This works out to 5.1% greater than the $7,804 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $16,400 across two years and $32,800 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,200 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 658 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,395,775 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at FHU carry a median federal debt of $16,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 FHU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,875 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,375 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at FHU.
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 FHU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 318 | $14,051 |
| Completed (graduates) | 168 | $19,230 |
| Did not complete | 150 | $11,263 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $228.67/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 FHU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 297 | $15,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 21 | $6,090 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at FHU.
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 FHU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 642 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $13,671 |
| Middle income | $15,063 |
| High income | $18,519 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,463 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,900 |
| Independent students | $14,463 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at FHU.
Subsidized and 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.
Important to Remember
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.