by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend City University of Seattle— 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 all undergraduates at CityU, freshmen included, 13% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $7,550 each per year.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $15,100 across two years and $30,200 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 13% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,550 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 143 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,079,579 |
The median student at CityU borrows $14,091 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,091 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
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 CityU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,375 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,666 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,298 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CityU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CityU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 233 | $14,549 |
| Completed (graduates) | 120 | $19,040 |
| Did not complete | 113 | $12,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $226.41/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 CityU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 148 | $15,746 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 85 | $13,500 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CityU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CityU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 863 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,929 |
| Middle income | $13,857 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,218 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,963 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,375 |
| Independent students | $15,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for CityU.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.