by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend North Central 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 North Central University, 61% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $7,920 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,158, representing 93.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at North Central University (freshmen included), 59% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,285 in federal loans per year. It comes to 21.8% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,158.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,570 by year two and around $25,140 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 59% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,285 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 473 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,972,755 |
The middle borrower at North Central University owes $16,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,200 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at North Central University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,765 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,412 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at North Central University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at North Central University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 146 | $18,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 74 | $17,452 |
| Did not complete | 72 | $19,013 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $207.52/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at North Central University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for North Central University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 351 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,125 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $16,375 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,875 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,125 |
| Independent students | $14,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at North Central University.
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
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.