by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Oral Roberts 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 ORU, 64% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $7,835 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,633. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at ORU, 57% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $7,357 annually. This works out to 30.6% greater than the $5,633 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,714 across two years and $29,428 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 57% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,357 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,890 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,905,003 |
The median student at ORU borrows $20,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,441 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for ORU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,311 |
| 75th percentile | $36,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $49,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at ORU.
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 ORU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 794 | $22,021 |
| Completed (graduates) | 440 | $28,450 |
| Did not complete | 354 | $16,201 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $338.3/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at ORU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 766 | $22,600 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 28 | $15,029 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for ORU.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for ORU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 872 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $20,919 |
| High income | $20,001 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,750 |
| Independent students | $17,569 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at ORU.
Subsidized and 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?
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.