by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 30% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,648 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,017, which is 91.2% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (freshmen included), 25% take out federal student loans, at an average of $5,900 annually. That is 17.6% more than the first-year federal average of $5,017.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,800 after two years and $23,600 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 25% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,900 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,361 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $31,628,460 |
The median student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo borrows $15,396 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,396 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,166 |
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 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,743 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2259 | $31,615 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1683 | $35,000 |
| Did not complete | 576 | $23,545 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $416.19/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2147 | $31,898 |
| No Stafford loan | 112 | $22,635 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2112 | $32,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 147 | $21,699 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2481 |
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 | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,911 |
| High income | $15,450 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,095 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,569 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,334 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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
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.