by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Northwest College of Art & Design: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At NCAD specifically, 73% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,011 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,675. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at NCAD, 48% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,760 each per year. It comes to 19.1% more than the $5,675 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,520 over two years and about $27,040 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 | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,760 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 72 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $486,700 |
The median student at NCAD borrows $29,030 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $29,030 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $30,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $13,875 |
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 NCAD.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $18,438 |
| 75th percentile | $32,250 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at NCAD.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for NCAD is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 44 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Middle income | $30,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $30,525 |
| Continuing-generation students | $29,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at NCAD.
The Difference Between 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.
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.