by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Heritage University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Heritage University, 20% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $5,036 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,036, which is 91.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Heritage University, 36% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $7,172 annually. That is 42.4% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,036.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,344 across two years and $28,688 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 | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,172 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 280 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,008,247 |
The median student at Heritage University borrows $11,925 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,925 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,573 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,400 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Heritage University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $28,728 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,438 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Heritage University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Heritage University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 67 | $16,503 |
| Completed (graduates) | 42 | $18,542 |
| Did not complete | 25 | $13,657 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $220.48/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Heritage University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Heritage University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 436 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $10,155 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,055 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $9,638 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Heritage University.
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.
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.