by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Appalachian State University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Appalachian State specifically, 43% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $8,436 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,172, representing 94.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Appalachian State, freshmen included, 37% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $6,197 annually. This works out to 19.8% more than the $5,172 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,394 after two years and $24,788 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 37% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,197 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,102 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $44,009,738 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Appalachian State carry a median federal debt of $15,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,231 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,050 |
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 Appalachian State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,217 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,123 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Appalachian State.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Appalachian State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2784 | $18,721 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2081 | $21,919 |
| Did not complete | 703 | $14,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $260.64/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Appalachian State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2726 | $19,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 58 | $12,177 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2618 | $19,313 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 166 | $13,365 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Appalachian State.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Appalachian State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2886 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $14,786 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $16,583 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,536 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,091 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $16,012 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Appalachian State.
Subsidized vs. 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.