by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Gordon College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Gordon College, 56% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $8,922 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,282, or about 96.0% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Gordon College, 55% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,336 a year. That is 20.0% above the first-year federal average of $5,282.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,672 by year two and around $25,344 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 | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,336 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 680 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,308,597 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Gordon College carry a median federal debt of $23,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Gordon College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,105 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Gordon College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Gordon College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 284 | $28,121 |
| Completed (graduates) | 137 | $43,838 |
| Did not complete | 147 | $21,310 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $521.28/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Gordon College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 210 | $36,271 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 74 | $23,826 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Gordon College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Gordon College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 378 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $20,982 |
| High income | $23,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $23,250 |
| Independent students | $15,875 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Gordon College.
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
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.