by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Fitchburg State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Fitchburg State specifically, 60% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,526 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,906, amounting to 89.2% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at Fitchburg State (freshmen included), 52% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,186 each per year. That amounts to 26.1% higher than the $4,906 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,372 after two years and $24,744 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,186 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,466 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,068,077 |
The median student at Fitchburg State borrows $18,220 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,220 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,239 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Fitchburg State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,633 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,223 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,553 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Fitchburg State.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Fitchburg State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1221 | $15,262 |
| Completed (graduates) | 501 | $16,500 |
| Did not complete | 720 | $14,851 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $196.2/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Fitchburg State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1209 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 624 | $13,901 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 597 | $18,311 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Fitchburg State.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Fitchburg State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1013 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,790 |
| Middle income | $19,250 |
| High income | $17,282 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,390 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,675 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $17,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Fitchburg State.
Subsidized and 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.
Did You Know?
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.