by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend George Washington University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at GWU, 36% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $10,039 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,192, amounting to 94.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at GWU, 33% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,438 a year. This is 24.0% higher than the $5,192 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,876 after two years and $25,752 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 33% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,438 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,596 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $23,150,360 |
The middle borrower at GWU owes $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,449 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,500 |
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 GWU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,400 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,900 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at GWU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at GWU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2490 | $29,402 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1875 | $30,881 |
| Did not complete | 615 | $25,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $367.21/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at GWU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2441 | $29,240 |
| No Stafford loan | 49 | $55,190 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1954 | $32,341 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 536 | $21,293 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. GWU.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for GWU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4204 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $20,000 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at GWU.
Subsidized and 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?
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.