by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Hardin-Simmons University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Hardin - Simmons specifically, 93% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $7,080 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,678. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at Hardin - Simmons (freshmen included), 83% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,706 a year. That amounts to 18.1% more than the $5,678 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,412 after two years and $26,824 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 83% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,706 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,054 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,068,547 |
The middle borrower at Hardin - Simmons owes $13,359 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,359 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,711 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,250 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Hardin - Simmons.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Hardin - Simmons.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Hardin - Simmons.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 334 | $20,215 |
| Completed (graduates) | 168 | $27,661 |
| Did not complete | 166 | $15,106 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $328.92/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Hardin - Simmons.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 313 | $19,462 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 21 | $22,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Hardin - Simmons.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Hardin - Simmons appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 676 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $14,417 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,500 |
| Independent students | $22,438 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Hardin - Simmons.
The Difference Between 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.
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.