by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Hope College of Arts and Sciences: 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.
Among first-year students at Hope College of Arts and Sciences, 73% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,868 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $7,868. 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at Hope College of Arts and Sciences (freshmen included), 6% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,994 each per year. It comes to 11.1% less than the $7,868 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,988 by year two and around $27,976 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,994 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 9 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $62,944 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Hope College of Arts and Sciences carry a median federal debt of $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,229 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Hope College of Arts and Sciences.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Hope College of Arts and Sciences.
The Difference Between 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.
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.