by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend California State University-Fullerton, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Cal State Fullerton, 24% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $5,751 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,791, amounting to 87.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton, 22% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,354 a year. This works out to 32.6% above the freshman federal average of $4,791.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,708 by year two and around $25,416 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,354 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 8,160 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $51,849,326 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Cal State Fullerton carry a median federal debt of $12,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Cal State Fullerton.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,537 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,095 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Cal State Fullerton.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Cal State Fullerton.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1498 | $16,320 |
| Completed (graduates) | 996 | $16,538 |
| Did not complete | 502 | $15,705 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $196.65/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 Cal State Fullerton.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1454 | $16,224 |
| No Stafford loan | 44 | $18,223 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1112 | $16,457 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 386 | $15,531 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Cal State Fullerton.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Cal State Fullerton appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4753 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,957 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $14,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,309 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,250 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Cal State Fullerton.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Did You Know?
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.