by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Alcorn 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.
At Alcorn State, 78% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $6,695 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $6,695. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Alcorn State, 71% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $10,928 in federal loans per year. That is 63.2% higher than the $6,695 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $21,856 across two years and $43,712 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 71% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,928 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,622 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,725,826 |
The middle borrower at Alcorn State owes $17,021 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,021 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Alcorn State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,700 |
| 25th percentile | $7,685 |
| 75th percentile | $33,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,875 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Alcorn 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 Alcorn State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 869 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 325 | $13,000 |
| Did not complete | 544 | $11,985 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $154.58/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Alcorn State.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 850 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 19 | $11,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 831 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 38 | $10,828 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Alcorn 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 Alcorn State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1127 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,929 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,166 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,668 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Alcorn 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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.