by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Rochester Institute of Technology, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at RIT, 62% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $9,927 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,189, which is 94.3% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at RIT, freshmen included, 56% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,228 a year. That is 20.0% greater than the $5,189 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,456 across two years and $24,912 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 56% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,228 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,447 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $46,379,187 |
The middle borrower at RIT owes $20,872 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,872 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,778 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for RIT.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $32,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,582 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at RIT.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at RIT.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1607 | $31,643 |
| Completed (graduates) | 905 | $35,625 |
| Did not complete | 702 | $27,167 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $423.62/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at RIT.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1594 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1508 | $33,009 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 99 | $16,601 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. RIT.
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 RIT appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2923 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,243 |
| Middle income | $22,250 |
| High income | $20,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,385 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,500 |
| Independent students | $23,759 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at RIT.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.