by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend California State University-Northridge— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At CSUN specifically, 20% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $5,466 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,770, representing 86.7% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at CSUN (freshmen included), 21% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,712 in federal loans per year. It comes to 40.7% higher than the first-year federal average of $4,770.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,424 in two years and roughly $26,848 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 21% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,712 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 6,938 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $46,566,589 |
The median student at CSUN borrows $12,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,872 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,235 |
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 CSUN.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CSUN.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CSUN.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1211 | $13,374 |
| Completed (graduates) | 731 | $13,522 |
| Did not complete | 480 | $13,086 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $160.79/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 CSUN.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1187 | $13,408 |
| No Stafford loan | 24 | $9,513 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 843 | $12,700 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 368 | $14,507 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CSUN.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CSUN is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5814 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,333 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $13,717 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,285 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,809 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,947 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CSUN.
Subsidized and 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.