by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Union University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Union specifically, 41% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $8,059 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,621. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Union, 49% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $6,967 per year. That amounts to 5.2% more than the $6,621 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,934 over two years and about $27,868 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 | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,967 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 801 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,580,567 |
The median student at Union borrows $16,666 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,666 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,714 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 Union.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Union.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Union.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 465 | $17,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 317 | $20,000 |
| Did not complete | 148 | $11,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $237.82/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Union.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 399 | $18,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 66 | $11,763 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Union.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Union is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1002 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500 |
| Middle income | $16,800 |
| High income | $17,625 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,667 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,666 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,768 |
| Independent students | $16,666 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Union.
Subsidized and 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.
Worth Knowing
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.