by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Indiana University-South Bend: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at Indiana University - South Bend, 33% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $4,971 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,690, or about 85.3% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Indiana University - South Bend, 36% take out federal student loans, for a typical $5,979 per year. It comes to 27.5% greater than the $4,690 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,958 in two years and roughly $23,916 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,979 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,366 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,167,927 |
The middle borrower at Indiana University - South Bend owes $12,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,355 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,080 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Indiana University - South Bend.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,650 |
| 25th percentile | $5,232 |
| 75th percentile | $25,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,806 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Indiana University - South Bend.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Indiana University - South Bend.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 424 | $11,168 |
| Completed (graduates) | 193 | $12,486 |
| Did not complete | 231 | $10,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $148.47/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Indiana University - South Bend.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 315 | $10,790 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 109 | $12,493 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Indiana University - South Bend.
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 Indiana University - South Bend follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1913 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,703 |
| Middle income | $12,212 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,580 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,376 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,927 |
| Independent students | $16,116 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Indiana University - South Bend.
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.
Did You Know?
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.