This page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for RFUMS.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile | $8,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at RFUMS.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for RFUMS.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 193 | $30,655 |
| Completed (graduates) | 174 | $30,801 |
| Did not complete | 19 | $30,655 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $366.26/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at RFUMS.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 177 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 16 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. RFUMS.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for RFUMS is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 475 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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.