by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Indiana University-Northwest: 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 IU Northwest, 28% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $4,877 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,699, amounting to 85.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at IU Northwest, 36% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,414 annually. That is 36.5% more than the $4,699 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,828 after two years and $25,656 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,414 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 936 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,003,800 |
The middle borrower at IU Northwest owes $12,478 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,478 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,710 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,562 |
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 IU Northwest.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,502 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,762 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at IU Northwest.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at IU Northwest.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 321 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 128 | $12,000 |
| Did not complete | 193 | $12,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $142.69/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at IU Northwest.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 228 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 93 | $14,879 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for IU Northwest.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for IU Northwest appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1556 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,856 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,228 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,124 |
| Independent students | $17,470 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at IU Northwest.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.