by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Hilbert College: 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.
At Hilbert College, 71% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $10,183 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $8,384. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Hilbert College, 75% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $8,922 each per year. This works out to 6.4% greater than the freshman federal average of $8,384.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $17,844 across two years and $35,688 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 75% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,922 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 687 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,129,543 |
The median student at Hilbert College borrows $15,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Hilbert College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $9,393 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Hilbert 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 Hilbert College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 108 | $15,094 |
| Completed (graduates) | 57 | $24,746 |
| Did not complete | 51 | $12,500 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $294.26/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Hilbert College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Hilbert College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 353 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,023 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $17,107 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,299 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $17,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Hilbert College.
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.
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.