by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Norwich 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.
For incoming students at Norwich, 64% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $9,985 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,387, amounting to 97.9% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Norwich, 49% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $11,760 per year. This works out to 118.3% above the $5,387 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $23,520 by year two and around $47,040 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $11,760 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,225 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,406,132 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Norwich carry a median federal debt of $17,501 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,501 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| 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 Norwich.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,910 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Norwich.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Norwich.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 649 | $20,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 404 | $22,052 |
| Did not complete | 245 | $16,403 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $262.22/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Norwich.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 639 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 529 | $21,142 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 120 | $14,101 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Norwich.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Norwich appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1133 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $18,617 |
| High income | $16,030 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,197 |
| Independent students | $16,667 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Norwich.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.