by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Georgetown College: 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.
Among first-year students at Georgetown College, 49% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,370 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $4,763, or about 86.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Georgetown College, freshmen included, 49% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,039 a year. It comes to 26.8% above the freshman federal average of $4,763.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,078 across two years and $24,156 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,039 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 579 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,496,847 |
The middle borrower at Georgetown College owes $13,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,200 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Georgetown College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,007 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Georgetown College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Georgetown College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 319 | $16,471 |
| Completed (graduates) | 184 | $24,160 |
| Did not complete | 135 | $11,978 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $287.29/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Georgetown College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 298 | $16,711 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 21 | $12,362 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Georgetown College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Georgetown College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 479 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,867 |
| Middle income | $13,500 |
| High income | $14,808 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,839 |
| Independent students | $5,280 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Georgetown College.
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.