by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Purdue University Global, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Purdue University Global specifically, 29% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,722 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,722. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. 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 Purdue University Global, 46% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $8,034 annually. That amounts to 40.4% more than the first-year federal average of $5,722.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $16,068 over two years and about $32,136 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,034 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 14,470 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $116,252,274 |
The middle borrower at Purdue University Global owes $11,648 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,648 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,078 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,334 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Purdue University Global.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $3,983 |
| 75th percentile | $29,125 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $43,600 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Purdue University Global.
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 Purdue University Global.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 5154 | $10,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2055 | $10,500 |
| Did not complete | 3099 | $9,936 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $124.86/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Purdue University Global.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 5113 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 41 | $7,500 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3621 | $9,706 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 1533 | $11,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Purdue University Global.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Purdue University Global appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 52347 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,288 |
| Middle income | $12,962 |
| High income | $12,791 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,590 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,890 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Purdue University Global.
The Difference Between 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.