by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Kentucky 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.
Among first-year students at KY State, 75% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $6,479 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,262. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at KY State (freshmen included), 66% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $7,141 a year. That amounts to 14.0% above the $6,262 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,282 across two years and $28,564 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 66% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,141 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 866 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,184,520 |
The median student at KY State borrows $12,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,938 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for KY State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $33,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $47,625 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at KY State.
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 KY State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 299 | $10,938 |
| Completed (graduates) | 74 | $16,859 |
| Did not complete | 225 | $10,311 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $200.47/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at KY State.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 259 | $11,038 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 40 | $8,129 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. KY State.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for KY State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 21.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 813 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $12,344 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $10,997 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,673 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,250 |
| Independent students | $19,356 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for KY State.
The Difference Between 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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.