by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend The New School, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At New School University specifically, 30% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $11,129 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,185, amounting to 94.3% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Looking at all undergraduates at New School University, freshmen included, 25% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,419 a year. It comes to 23.8% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,185.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,838 in two years and roughly $25,676 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 25% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,419 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,711 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,982,862 |
The median student at New School University borrows $15,498 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,498 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,266 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 New School University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,932 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at New School University.
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 New School University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1088 | $46,907 |
| Completed (graduates) | 667 | $57,040 |
| Did not complete | 421 | $40,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $678.27/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at New School University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1060 | $46,876 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $49,075 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 966 | $48,571 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 122 | $38,030 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for New School University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for New School University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2336 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $17,250 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,190 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $19,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at New School University.
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.
Did You Know?
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.