by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Delaware State University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Del State, 56% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $7,927 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,758. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Del State, 56% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,433 annually. This is 11.7% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,758.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,866 in two years and roughly $25,732 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 56% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,433 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,579 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,589,817 |
The middle borrower at Del State owes $17,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Del State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,000 |
| 75th percentile | $30,937 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $41,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Del State.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Del State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1223 | $27,851 |
| Completed (graduates) | 572 | $42,541 |
| Did not complete | 651 | $22,243 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $505.86/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 Del State.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1186 | $28,078 |
| No Stafford loan | 37 | $18,346 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1088 | $29,558 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 135 | $18,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Del State.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Del State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1149 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,463 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $16,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,250 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,500 |
| Independent students | $19,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Del State.
Subsidized vs. 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.