by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Austin College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Austin College, 53% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $9,765 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,553. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Austin College, freshmen included, 50% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,633 annually. That amounts to 19.4% greater than the $5,553 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,266 after two years and $26,532 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 | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,633 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 564 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,740,860 |
The middle borrower at Austin College owes $17,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,500 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Austin College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,495 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Austin College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Austin College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 158 | $23,745 |
| Completed (graduates) | 112 | $30,413 |
| Did not complete | 46 | $18,446 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $361.64/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Austin College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Austin College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 269 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,375 |
| Middle income | $19,250 |
| High income | $17,188 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Austin College.
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.
Important to Remember
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.