by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Auburn University at Montgomery— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At AUM specifically, 43% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $5,204 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,204, amounting to 94.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at AUM, 47% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $7,103 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 36.5% above the $5,204 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,206 after two years and $28,412 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 | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,103 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,252 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,893,139 |
The middle borrower at AUM owes $13,119 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,119 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,810 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for AUM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at AUM.
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 AUM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 695 | $10,022 |
| Completed (graduates) | 286 | $11,809 |
| Did not complete | 409 | $10,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $140.42/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 AUM.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 642 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 53 | $10,118 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. AUM.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for AUM appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1653 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,000 |
| Middle income | $14,125 |
| High income | $12,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,336 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,950 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $16,502 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at AUM.
The Difference Between 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.
Worth Knowing
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.