by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Niagara University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Niagara, 70% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $8,054 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,593. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Niagara, 55% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,910 annually. This works out to 23.5% more than the $5,593 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,820 across two years and $27,640 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,910 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,496 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,336,681 |
The middle borrower at Niagara owes $20,312 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,312 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,475 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Niagara.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,199 |
| 75th percentile | $28,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,733 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Niagara.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Niagara.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 528 | $19,796 |
| Completed (graduates) | 343 | $25,200 |
| Did not complete | 185 | $14,313 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $299.65/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Niagara.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 482 | $20,185 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 46 | $13,550 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Niagara.
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 Niagara follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 949 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $20,750 |
| High income | $21,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,875 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,484 |
| Independent students | $20,312 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Niagara.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.