by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Seton Hall University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Seton Hall, 59% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $11,738 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,268, equal to roughly 95.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Seton Hall (freshmen included), 52% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,388 annually. That amounts to 21.3% above the $5,268 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,776 by year two and around $25,552 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 | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,388 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,065 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,580,472 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Seton Hall carry a median federal debt of $17,886 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,886 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Seton Hall.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Seton Hall.
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 Seton Hall.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1374 | $34,793 |
| Completed (graduates) | 859 | $40,003 |
| Did not complete | 515 | $28,680 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $475.68/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Seton Hall.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1342 | $34,793 |
| No Stafford loan | 32 | $35,478 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1216 | $35,695 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 158 | $24,241 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Seton Hall.
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 Seton Hall is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2108 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,500 |
| Middle income | $18,050 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,288 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,250 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,750 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Seton Hall.
Subsidized vs. 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.