by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Dayton, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at UDayton, 50% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $12,809 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $9,810. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at UDayton, 41% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $9,559 each per year. That amounts to 2.6% under the $9,810 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $19,118 over two years and about $38,236 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 41% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,559 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,306 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $31,601,132 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UDayton carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,250 |
| 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 UDayton.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UDayton.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UDayton.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1046 | $31,155 |
| Completed (graduates) | 608 | $43,810 |
| Did not complete | 438 | $20,675 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $520.95/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UDayton.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1031 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 916 | $34,010 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 130 | $17,029 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UDayton.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UDayton is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2134 |
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 | $16,276 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,337 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UDayton.
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.
Important to Remember
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.