by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Georgia Tech, 18% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $7,256 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,917, representing 89.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Georgia Tech (freshmen included), 18% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $5,835 a year. That is 18.7% more than the $4,917 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,670 by year two and around $23,340 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 18% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,835 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,309 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,308,990 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Georgia Tech carry a median federal debt of $20,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,672 |
| Students who withdrew | $19,000 |
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 Georgia Tech.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,500 |
| 75th percentile | $30,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Georgia Tech.
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 Georgia Tech.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2196 | $26,292 |
| Completed (graduates) | 625 | $32,216 |
| Did not complete | 1571 | $24,905 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $383.08/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Georgia Tech.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2140 | $26,057 |
| No Stafford loan | 56 | $41,565 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1329 | $31,762 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 867 | $20,370 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Georgia Tech.
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 Georgia Tech is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2242 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,048 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $19,834 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,048 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,952 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,515 |
| Independent students | $25,406 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Georgia Tech.
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.