by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Rutgers University-New Brunswick— 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.
For incoming students at Rutgers New Brunswick, 40% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $13,472 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $9,465. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing 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.
For undergraduates overall at Rutgers New Brunswick, 35% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $9,576 per year. This works out to 1.2% higher than the $9,465 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $19,152 by year two and around $38,304 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 35% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,576 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 12,730 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $121,903,834 |
The median student at Rutgers New Brunswick borrows $19,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
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 Rutgers New Brunswick.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,490 |
| 25th percentile | $10,044 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Rutgers New Brunswick.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Rutgers New Brunswick.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 5633 | $23,971 |
| Completed (graduates) | 3890 | $25,294 |
| Did not complete | 1743 | $20,622 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $300.77/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Rutgers New Brunswick.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 5565 | $23,986 |
| No Stafford loan | 68 | $22,439 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 4751 | $23,600 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 882 | $25,935 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Rutgers New Brunswick.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Rutgers New Brunswick is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 10621 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $18,012 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,750 |
| Independent students | $21,916 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Rutgers New Brunswick.
Subsidized vs. 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.