Gonzaga Student Financial Services monitors debt trends to assist our students in financing their education without undue reliance on loans.
Cohort Default Rate
The U.S. Department of Education annually produces federal student loan default rates. This rate is the percentage of federal loan borrowers in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program during a federal fiscal year ranging from October 1st through September 30th who enter default.
Gonzaga's 3 Year Federal Loan Default Rates
|
Year |
Default Rate |
Number of Borrowers in Repayment |
Number of Borrowers in Default |
| 2020 | 0.00% | 1,464 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0.20% | 1,474 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1.00% | 1,475 | 15 |
What is the Default Rate?
The Cohort Default Rate (CDR) is used by the Department of Education to determine whether colleges are eligible to receive federal student aid. The Department of Education can issue sanctions to schools with default rates above 40 percent in a single year or above 30 percent for three consecutive years.
For students and families, the Cohort Default Rate can potentially indicate a given university's potential value and institutional commitment to help students avoid and manage debt.
Additionally, a low default rate can indicate that the university's graduates find employment that provides adequate income to manage their debt. The CDR is used as a component by many university ranking systems and guides as an important item of consideration for prospective students.
What is Default?
A student loan is in default when no payments have been made in 270 days.
What is the difference between default, deferral, and delinquency?
Deferral is when loan repayment is paused. Deferral must be applied for directly with the loan servicing provider. Subsidized loans will not accrue interest during this time, however, unsubsidized loans will continue to accumulate interest while the loan is deferred. Delinquency occurs when a payment is missed and lasts until payment is resolved or when the loan has become defaulted. Default is when no payments have been made on the loan in 270 days.