Official Cohort Default Rates for Schools

A cohort default rate is the percentage of a school's borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular federal fiscal year (FY), October 1 to September 30, and default or meet other specified conditions prior to the end of the next fiscal year. Please refer to the Cohort Default Rate Guide for a more in-depth description of cohort default rates and how the rates are calculated.

The U.S Department of Education releases official cohort default rates once per year. The FY 2008 official cohort default rates, the most recent cohort default rates available, were delivered to both domestic and foreign schools on September 13, 2010, electronically via the eCDR process. All schools must enroll in eCDR to receive cohort default rate notification. Schools may check their eCDR enrollment online or by calling CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 800-330-5947.

In a press release, Secretary Duncan announced that the FY 2008 national cohort default rate is 7.0 percent. The Department also released a summary of the FY 2008 official cohort default rates by state, by institution type, and a graph showing the trend in national default rates. We are also providing tables with the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and Direct Loan (DL) Program default rates by school type for the three most recent years, a bar graph comparing the FFEL and DL rates for those years, and a briefing on the national default rates.

Schools may also obtain an electronic loan record detail report via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Professional Access website http://www.nsldsfap.ed.gov. A loan record detail report contains the data used to calculate a school's FY 2008 official cohort default rate. Assistance in accessing the NSLDS site or with downloading an electronic loan record detail report is available through NSLDS Customer Service at 1-800-999-8219.

For schools interested in taking actions to manage defaults, read the sample default management plan.

Important Note: Some schools have a small number of borrowers entering repayment. At other schools only a small portion of the student body takes out student loans. In such cases, the cohort default rate should be interpreted with caution.

Search the Cohort Default Rate Database

You may search this database for one school or many schools by OPEID (Office of Postsecondary Education Identification Number), school name, city/state, institution type, or eligibility status. Note: A school must have had at least one borrower in repayment for any of the years for which a cohort default rate was calculated to be found in this database.

Other information:

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fact Sheet.

Download a Zipped Microsoft Access File

The information contained in the searchable database and the downloadable files reflects schools' cohort default rate data as of September 13, 2010. Because a school may appeal its cohort default rates, a school's official cohort default rate may change. Please contact the Operations Performance Division at (202) 377-4259 or via e-mail at fsa.schools.default.management@ed.gov for the most up-to-date information regarding school cohort default rates and eligibility for Title IV student financial assistance programs.

Instructions on using these files
	FY 2008, FY 2007, and FY 2006 official cohort default rates published for schools participating in the Title IV student financial assistance programs.
	Schools subject to loss of FFEL Program, Direct Loan Program and/or Federal Pell Grant Program eligibility due to FY 2008, FY 2007, and FY 2006 official cohort default rates of 25.0% or greater. Definition (With the release of the official 2008 rates, Human Resource Development & Employment—Stanley Technical Institute and Charleston School of Beauty Culture are subject to this sanction.)
	Schools subject to loss of FFEL Program and/or Direct Loan Program eligibility due to FY 2008 official cohort default rates greater than 40.0%. Definition (With the release of the FY 2008 official rates, Cuttin' Up Beauty Academy, Academy of Healing Arts, and Clinton Junior College are subject to this sanction.)
	Schools that have an FY 2008 official cohort default rate that is less than 5.0% and are eligible to make single and non-delayed disbursements on loans used for attendance in a study abroad program as defined in Section 428G(e) of the Higher Education Act.
	Schools that have FY 2008, FY 2007, and FY 2006 cohort default rates less than 10.0%, including eligible foreign institutions, and that disburse in a single installment loans that are made for one semester, one trimester, one quarter, or a four-month period. These institutions are no longer required to delay the delivery or disbursement of loans for 30 days for first-time, first-year undergraduate borrowers. This benefit was reinstated with the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA) and affects any disbursement made on or after 2/8/06.

Last updated March 9, 2011