by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Heidelberg University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Heidelburg College specifically, 98% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,167 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,243, which is 77.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Heidelburg College, 92% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $5,445 annually. It comes to 28.3% more than the first-year federal average of $4,243.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,890 in two years and roughly $21,780 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 92% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,445 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 758 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,127,468 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Heidelburg College carry a median federal debt of $20,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,852 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Heidelburg College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,250 |
| 75th percentile | $29,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,408 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Heidelburg College.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Heidelburg College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 287 | $22,879 |
| Completed (graduates) | 162 | $31,840 |
| Did not complete | 125 | $16,620 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $378.61/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Heidelburg College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 265 | $23,188 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 22 | $17,350 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Heidelburg College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Heidelburg College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 465 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,750 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $21,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,624 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,500 |
| Independent students | $14,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Heidelburg College.
Subsidized and 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.
Worth Knowing
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.