by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Dakota State University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Dakota State specifically, 61% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,503 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,939, representing 89.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Dakota State, freshmen included, 51% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $6,351 per year. That is 28.6% higher than the $4,939 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,702 in two years and roughly $25,404 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,351 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 996 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,326,008 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Dakota State carry a median federal debt of $14,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Dakota State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,100 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,938 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Dakota State.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Dakota State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 333 | $12,100 |
| Completed (graduates) | 132 | $15,085 |
| Did not complete | 201 | $10,400 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $179.38/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Dakota State.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 275 | $12,445 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 58 | $10,305 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Dakota State.
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 Dakota State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 569 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,612 |
| Middle income | $16,125 |
| High income | $12,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,619 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,500 |
| Independent students | $14,138 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Dakota State.
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.