by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Harvey Mudd College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Harvey Mudd College specifically, 34% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $7,331 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $4,944, representing 89.9% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Harvey Mudd College, 34% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,221 annually. That is 25.8% above the freshman federal average of $4,944.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,442 by year two and around $24,884 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,221 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 313 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,947,032 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Harvey Mudd College carry a median federal debt of $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,008 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Harvey Mudd College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $13,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,630 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Harvey Mudd College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Harvey Mudd College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 72 | $33,386 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Harvey Mudd College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Harvey Mudd College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 124 |
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 | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $26,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $24,445 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Harvey Mudd College.
Subsidized vs. 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?
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.