by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Adams State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Adams State, 40% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $6,478 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,990, equal to roughly 90.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Adams State, 42% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,368 a year. This is 27.6% larger than the $4,990 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,736 in two years and roughly $25,472 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,368 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 525 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,343,134 |
The median student at Adams State borrows $11,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 Adams State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,747 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Adams State.
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 Adams State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1147 | $14,916 |
| Completed (graduates) | 250 | $18,058 |
| Did not complete | 897 | $14,286 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $214.73/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 Adams State.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1133 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 365 | $15,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 782 | $14,790 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Adams State.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Adams State follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 967 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $11,701 |
| High income | $10,884 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $14,181 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Adams State.
Subsidized and 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.
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.