by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Austin Peay State University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Austin Peay State University, 43% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,705 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,164, equal to roughly 93.9% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Austin Peay State University, 40% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $6,522 annually. It comes to 26.3% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,164.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,044 in two years and roughly $26,088 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 40% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,522 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,923 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,063,674 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Austin Peay State University carry a median federal debt of $13,202 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,202 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,547 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Austin Peay State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,977 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,738 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,133 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Austin Peay State University.
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 Austin Peay State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1116 | $13,015 |
| Completed (graduates) | 491 | $14,710 |
| Did not complete | 625 | $12,416 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $174.92/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 Austin Peay State University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1099 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 933 | $13,492 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 183 | $11,950 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Austin Peay State University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Austin Peay State University is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2832 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,750 |
| Middle income | $13,250 |
| High income | $12,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,602 |
| Independent students | $14,583 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Austin Peay State University.
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
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.