by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Clarkson University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Clarkson, 62% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $10,096 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,320, equal to roughly 96.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at Clarkson, 64% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $6,286 in federal loans per year. That is 18.2% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,320.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,572 after two years and $25,144 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 64% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,286 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,541 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,686,137 |
The middle borrower at Clarkson owes $21,714 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,714 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Clarkson.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $13,464 |
| 75th percentile | $28,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Clarkson.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Clarkson.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 545 | $34,640 |
| Completed (graduates) | 411 | $36,890 |
| Did not complete | 134 | $23,299 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $438.66/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 Clarkson.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 463 | $35,840 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 82 | $21,952 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Clarkson.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Clarkson appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 695 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,039 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $23,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $21,500 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Clarkson.
The Difference Between 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?
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.