by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Francis Marion University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Francis Marion University, 53% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $5,776 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,430, or about 98.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Francis Marion University, 53% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,459 in federal loans per year. This works out to 19.0% more than the $5,430 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,918 after two years and $25,836 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,459 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,394 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,004,340 |
The middle borrower at Francis Marion University owes $15,617 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,617 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,866 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Francis Marion University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,374 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,496 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Francis Marion University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Francis Marion University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 687 | $12,929 |
| Completed (graduates) | 341 | $17,787 |
| Did not complete | 346 | $10,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $211.51/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Francis Marion University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 673 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 613 | $13,372 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 74 | $11,040 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Francis Marion University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Francis Marion University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1041 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,000 |
| Middle income | $15,500 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,696 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Francis Marion University.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.