by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Rockhurst University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Rockhurst, 53% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $7,924 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,157, representing 93.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Rockhurst, 50% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,995 in federal loans per year. This is 35.6% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,157.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,990 after two years and $27,980 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 | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,995 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 852 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,959,444 |
The middle borrower at Rockhurst owes $12,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,289 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Rockhurst.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,991 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Rockhurst.
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 Rockhurst.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 469 | $22,236 |
| Completed (graduates) | 340 | $26,074 |
| Did not complete | 129 | $13,196 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $310.05/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Rockhurst.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 406 | $22,865 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 63 | $16,849 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Rockhurst.
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 Rockhurst appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 768 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,345 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,046 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Rockhurst.
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.
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.