by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Waldorf University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Waldorf specifically, 78% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $8,039 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $7,192. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Waldorf, 41% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $8,432 annually. This works out to 17.2% larger than the $7,192 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $16,864 after two years and $33,728 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 | $8,432 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 864 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,285,622 |
The middle borrower at Waldorf owes $12,025 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,025 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,752 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,988 |
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 Waldorf.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,375 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $20,428 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Waldorf.
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 Waldorf.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 336 | $10,473 |
| Completed (graduates) | 129 | $12,600 |
| Did not complete | 207 | $9,655 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $149.83/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Waldorf.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 208 | $10,483 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 128 | $10,355 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Waldorf.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Waldorf is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 236 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $12,407 |
| High income | $14,025 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,454 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,469 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Waldorf.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.