by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Alfred University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Alfred, 62% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $9,072 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,309, equal to roughly 96.5% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Alfred, 65% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $10,217 per year. That amounts to 92.4% more than the freshman federal average of $5,309.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $20,434 across two years and $40,868 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 65% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,217 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 912 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,318,216 |
The median student at Alfred borrows $17,751 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,751 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Alfred.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,625 |
| 25th percentile | $7,250 |
| 75th percentile | $29,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Alfred.
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 Alfred.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 422 | $16,132 |
| Completed (graduates) | 235 | $20,269 |
| Did not complete | 187 | $12,150 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $241.02/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Alfred.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 386 | $15,734 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 36 | $20,436 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Alfred.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Alfred is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 647 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $19,800 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,000 |
| Independent students | $12,519 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Alfred.
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
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.