by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Hofstra University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Hofstra specifically, 50% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $10,656 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,274, which is 95.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the 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.
For undergraduates overall at Hofstra, 45% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,302 per year. This works out to 19.5% larger than the $5,274 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,604 in two years and roughly $25,208 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,302 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,760 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,394,016 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Hofstra carry a median federal debt of $18,518 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,518 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,621 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Hofstra.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,250 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Hofstra.
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 Hofstra.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1924 | $48,067 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1329 | $56,149 |
| Did not complete | 595 | $37,438 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $667.67/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Hofstra.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1879 | $49,648 |
| No Stafford loan | 45 | $22,000 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1734 | $51,685 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 190 | $28,341 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Hofstra.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Hofstra is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3163 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,500 |
| Middle income | $18,000 |
| High income | $19,312 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,933 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,319 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Hofstra.
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.