by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Alabama A & M 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.
Among first-year students at AAMU, 76% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,883 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,224. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at AAMU, 76% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,955 per year. This is 11.7% larger than the first-year federal average of $6,224.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,910 after two years and $27,820 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 | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,955 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,357 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,301,705 |
The middle borrower at AAMU owes $16,600 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,600 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $31,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for AAMU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,381 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $32,208 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $47,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at AAMU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for AAMU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1854 | $17,101 |
| Completed (graduates) | 621 | $19,266 |
| Did not complete | 1233 | $16,206 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $229.09/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 AAMU.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1796 | $17,448 |
| No Stafford loan | 58 | $13,452 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1694 | $17,702 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 160 | $14,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for AAMU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for AAMU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1574 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,500 |
| Middle income | $16,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,275 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,057 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for AAMU.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.