by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Clarkson College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Clarkson College, 91% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,929 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,012, amounting to 72.9% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Clarkson College (freshmen included), 81% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $7,526 in federal loans per year. That is 87.6% above the $4,012 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $15,052 after two years and $30,104 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 | 81% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,526 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 497 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,740,340 |
The median student at Clarkson College borrows $19,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,716 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,375 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Clarkson College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $10,516 |
| 75th percentile | $32,400 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,161 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Clarkson College.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Clarkson College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 182 | $13,089 |
| Completed (graduates) | 116 | $14,767 |
| Did not complete | 66 | $12,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $175.6/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Clarkson College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 143 | $13,173 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 39 | $12,792 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Clarkson College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Clarkson College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 260 |
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 | $24,508 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $18,515 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,046 |
| Independent students | $24,915 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Clarkson College.
The Difference Between 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.
Did You Know?
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.