by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Claflin University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Claflin, 75% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $6,366 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $6,081. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Claflin, 74% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $6,897 each per year. This is 13.4% larger than the $6,081 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,794 over two years and about $27,588 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 74% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,897 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,290 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,896,781 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Claflin carry a median federal debt of $22,049 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,049 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $29,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,750 |
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 Claflin.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $36,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Claflin.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Claflin.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 617 | $18,670 |
| Completed (graduates) | 308 | $24,579 |
| Did not complete | 309 | $14,036 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $292.27/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Claflin.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 600 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 17 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Claflin.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Claflin follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 547 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $23,000 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $24,367 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $24,190 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $23,725 |
| Independent students | $18,305 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Claflin.
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.
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.