by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus specifically, 83% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,597 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $7,597. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus, 77% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $7,158 annually. It comes to 5.8% less than the $7,597 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,316 across two years and $28,632 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 | 77% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,158 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 135 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $966,351 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus carry a median federal debt of $9,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
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 Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 94 | $13,110 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 72 | $12,503 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 22 | $14,389 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 295 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $9,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus.
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.
Did You Know?
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.