by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Gettysburg College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Gettysburg specifically, 58% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $7,980 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,335, or about 97.0% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at Gettysburg, 48% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,493 annually. That amounts to 21.7% higher than the $5,335 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,986 across two years and $25,972 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,493 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,113 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,226,541 |
The middle borrower at Gettysburg owes $23,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,999 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Gettysburg.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $13,654 |
| 75th percentile | $26,233 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Gettysburg.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Gettysburg.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 214 | $48,130 |
| Completed (graduates) | 173 | $62,000 |
| Did not complete | 41 | $18,998 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $737.25/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Gettysburg.
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 Gettysburg follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 421 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $18,230 |
| Middle income | $23,250 |
| High income | $24,742 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,894 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Gettysburg.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.