by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Cleveland State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Cleveland State University, 51% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,710 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,104, which is 92.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Cleveland State University, 76% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $7,561 each per year. It comes to 48.1% more than the $5,104 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $15,122 over two years and about $30,244 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,561 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 6,966 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $52,672,437 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Cleveland State University carry a median federal debt of $15,333 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,333 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,797 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,305 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Cleveland State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,343 |
| 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,250 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Cleveland State University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Cleveland State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2055 | $16,818 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1174 | $16,998 |
| Did not complete | 881 | $16,672 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $202.12/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 Cleveland State University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2036 | $16,891 |
| No Stafford loan | 19 | $9,097 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1696 | $16,467 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 359 | $18,984 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Cleveland State University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Cleveland State University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4354 |
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 | $17,000 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $14,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,417 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,297 |
| Independent students | $19,557 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Cleveland State University.
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.
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.