by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Emporia State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At ESU specifically, 74% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,105 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $5,314, which is 96.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at ESU (freshmen included), 61% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,322 per year. This works out to 19.0% more than the $5,314 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,644 in two years and roughly $25,288 over a four-year span. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 61% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,322 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,423 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,996,730 |
The middle borrower at ESU owes $14,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,738 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for ESU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,973 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,659 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at ESU.
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 ESU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 890 | $13,287 |
| Completed (graduates) | 516 | $15,050 |
| Did not complete | 374 | $11,622 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $178.96/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at ESU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 703 | $12,888 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 187 | $14,150 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. ESU.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for ESU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1474 |
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 | $14,202 |
| Middle income | $13,375 |
| High income | $14,257 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,257 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,882 |
| Independent students | $15,627 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at ESU.
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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.