by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Muhlenberg College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Muhlenberg, 56% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $8,943 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,074, equal to roughly 92.3% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Muhlenberg (freshmen included), 53% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,342 per year. That amounts to 25.0% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,074.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,684 across two years and $25,368 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,342 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 943 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,980,259 |
The middle borrower at Muhlenberg owes $22,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,455 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,755 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Muhlenberg.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Muhlenberg.
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 Muhlenberg.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 148 | $47,652 |
| Completed (graduates) | 119 | $48,779 |
| Did not complete | 29 | $27,195 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $580.03/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Muhlenberg.
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 Muhlenberg is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 391 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $24,209 |
| Middle income | $22,000 |
| High income | $22,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,625 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $22,950 |
| Independent students | $19,667 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Muhlenberg.
Subsidized and 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
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.