by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Mars Hill University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Mars Hill, 70% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $8,062 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,264, equal to roughly 95.7% 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 Mars Hill, 62% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $8,652 a year. This works out to 64.4% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,264.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $17,304 over two years and about $34,608 by the fourth year. 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 | $8,652 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 622 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,381,790 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Mars Hill carry a median federal debt of $18,172 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,172 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 Mars Hill.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,826 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Mars Hill.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Mars Hill.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 201 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 110 | $15,115 |
| Did not complete | 91 | $15,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $179.73/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Mars Hill.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Mars Hill follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 17.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 430 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,472 |
| Middle income | $17,250 |
| High income | $18,070 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,304 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,407 |
| Independent students | $19,565 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Mars Hill.
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.