by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Full Sail University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Full Sail University, 83% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $8,661 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $7,530. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Full Sail University, 63% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $10,837 per year. That amounts to 43.9% larger than the freshman federal average of $7,530.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $21,674 after two years and $43,348 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 63% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,837 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 15,903 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $172,347,389 |
The middle borrower at Full Sail University owes $14,038 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,038 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,381 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Full Sail University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,429 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $43,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Full Sail University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Full Sail University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 4433 | $20,151 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2635 | $27,332 |
| Did not complete | 1798 | $12,713 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $325.01/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 Full Sail University.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4362 | $20,045 |
| No Stafford loan | 71 | $43,240 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 4150 | $20,659 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 283 | $13,099 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Full Sail University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Full Sail University is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 6158 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $16,379 |
| High income | $18,874 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,107 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,750 |
| Independent students | $13,133 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Full Sail University.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.