by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Howard 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.
For incoming students at Howard, 73% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $8,259 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,585. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Howard, 62% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,743 a year. That amounts to 20.7% more than the $5,585 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,486 in two years and roughly $26,972 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,743 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,991 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $40,395,827 |
The middle borrower at Howard owes $19,200 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,200 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,500 |
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 Howard.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $30,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Howard.
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 Howard.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1976 | $47,138 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1093 | $58,682 |
| Did not complete | 883 | $35,778 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $697.79/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Howard.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1910 | $48,250 |
| No Stafford loan | 66 | $30,325 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1838 | $50,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 138 | $23,333 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Howard.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Howard is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2554 |
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 | $19,197 |
| Middle income | $19,750 |
| High income | $18,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,464 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,172 |
| Independent students | $19,528 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Howard.
The Difference Between 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.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.