by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Northern Kentucky University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at NKU, 44% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,082 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,410, which is 98.4% 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.
Counting every undergraduate at NKU, 38% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,622 each per year. That is 22.4% greater than the freshman federal average of $5,410.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,244 in two years and roughly $26,488 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,622 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,051 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $20,202,621 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at NKU carry a median federal debt of $15,159 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,159 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 NKU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,749 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at NKU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for NKU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1961 | $13,307 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1137 | $14,877 |
| Did not complete | 824 | $11,177 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $176.9/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at NKU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1943 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1676 | $13,104 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 285 | $13,800 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for NKU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for NKU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3494 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,012 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,444 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,495 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,250 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for NKU.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.