by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Northern Illinois University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At NIU specifically, 54% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $6,167 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,139, which is 93.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at NIU, 47% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,544 per year. That amounts to 27.3% greater than the $5,139 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,088 in two years and roughly $26,176 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,544 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,306 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $34,721,358 |
The median student at NIU borrows $16,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,162 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 NIU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,517 |
| 75th percentile | $27,644 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,991 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at NIU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at NIU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2277 | $17,082 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1438 | $19,508 |
| Did not complete | 839 | $13,473 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $231.97/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at NIU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2246 | $17,156 |
| No Stafford loan | 31 | $10,925 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2002 | $17,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 275 | $18,344 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at NIU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for NIU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5277 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $16,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $20,344 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NIU.
Subsidized vs. 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?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.