by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Baker College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Baker College, 40% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $5,515 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,137, representing 93.4% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Baker College, 53% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,748 in federal loans per year. It comes to 31.4% higher than the $5,137 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,496 in two years and roughly $26,992 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,748 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,610 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,865,066 |
The middle borrower at Baker College owes $16,753 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,753 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,901 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Baker College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,280 |
| 25th percentile | $5,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,690 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $43,958 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Baker College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Baker College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1105 | $9,538 |
| Completed (graduates) | 520 | $9,540 |
| Did not complete | 585 | $9,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $113.44/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 Baker College.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1093 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 938 | $9,189 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 167 | $13,788 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Baker 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 Baker College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 18866 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,422 |
| Middle income | $17,344 |
| High income | $12,058 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,481 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,834 |
| Independent students | $20,604 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Baker College.
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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.