by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Purdue University-Main Campus— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Purdue, 26% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $8,942 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,116, amounting to 93.0% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. 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, 23% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,136 in federal loans per year. It comes to 19.9% larger than the $5,116 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,272 in two years and roughly $24,544 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 | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,136 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 8,949 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $54,913,096 |
The middle borrower at Purdue owes $15,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 Purdue.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,326 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,623 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Purdue.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Purdue.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2753 | $26,794 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2055 | $29,448 |
| Did not complete | 698 | $18,896 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $350.17/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Purdue.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2663 | $26,826 |
| No Stafford loan | 90 | $23,546 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2322 | $28,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 431 | $20,048 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Purdue.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Purdue appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5639 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $13,125 |
| High income | $16,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,245 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $13,641 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Purdue.
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.
Important to Remember
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.