by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend National University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at National University, 32% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $6,382 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,382. 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.
Counting every undergraduate at National University, 26% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $8,359 each per year. It comes to 31.0% more than the $6,382 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $16,718 by year two and around $33,436 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,359 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,495 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $20,854,594 |
The median student at National University borrows $18,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
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 National University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,083 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,688 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at National University.
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 National University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2731 | $13,910 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1189 | $15,319 |
| Did not complete | 1542 | $12,726 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $182.16/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at National University.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2703 | $13,905 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $14,525 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1408 | $14,228 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1323 | $13,546 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at National University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for National University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 6803 |
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 | $20,000 |
| Middle income | $18,664 |
| High income | $18,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,125 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,524 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,863 |
| Independent students | $20,057 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at National University.
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.
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.