by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Virginia Commonwealth University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at VCU, 44% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $8,490 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,296, which is 96.3% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at VCU, freshmen included, 40% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $6,555 a year. It comes to 23.8% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,296.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,110 over two years and about $26,220 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 40% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,555 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 8,222 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $53,893,817 |
The middle borrower at VCU owes $17,021 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,021 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at VCU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,750 |
| 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 VCU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for VCU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3130 | $22,177 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2017 | $23,585 |
| Did not complete | 1113 | $20,411 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $280.45/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at VCU.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3051 | $22,074 |
| No Stafford loan | 79 | $24,173 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2759 | $22,606 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 371 | $20,397 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. VCU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for VCU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5830 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $15,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,000 |
| Independent students | $21,640 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at VCU.
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
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.