by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Northeastern University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Northeastern, 40% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $8,158 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,241, equal to roughly 77.1% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Northeastern, freshmen included, 28% take out federal student loans, for a typical $5,882 each per year. This is 38.7% higher than the first-year federal average of $4,241.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,764 in two years and roughly $23,528 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 28% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,882 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,343 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $25,544,007 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Northeastern carry a median federal debt of $22,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $13,500 |
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 Northeastern.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,757 |
| 25th percentile | $14,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Northeastern.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Northeastern.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1953 | $28,442 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1092 | $34,984 |
| Did not complete | 861 | $21,110 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $416.0/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Northeastern.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1922 | $28,401 |
| No Stafford loan | 31 | $34,761 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1475 | $29,558 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 478 | $25,562 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Northeastern.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Northeastern follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4550 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,950 |
| Middle income | $22,601 |
| High income | $21,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,249 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $21,500 |
| Independent students | $23,791 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Northeastern.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.