by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend The Chicago School at Washington DC: 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 middle borrower at The Chicago School Washington DC Campus owes $10,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,166 |
| 25th percentile | $1,949 |
| 75th percentile | $7,593 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $24,136 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 882 | $19,181 |
| Completed (graduates) | 595 | $21,265 |
| Did not complete | 287 | $16,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $252.86/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 796 | $18,836 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 86 | $21,937 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for The Chicago School Washington DC Campus follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1143 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $10,500 |
| High income | $11,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,500 |
| Independent students | $10,938 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for The Chicago School Washington DC Campus.
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.