by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend North Dakota State College of Science: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at North Dakota State College of Science, 63% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $8,439 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,970, amounting to 90.4% 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.
For undergraduates overall at North Dakota State College of Science, 55% take out federal student loans, for a typical $5,469 each per year. This works out to 10.0% above the freshman federal average of $4,970.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,938 over two years and about $21,876 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,469 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 956 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,228,424 |
The median student at North Dakota State College of Science borrows $8,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 North Dakota State College of Science.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $12,424 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at North Dakota State College of Science.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at North Dakota State College of Science.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 127 | $8,410 |
| Completed (graduates) | 38 | $9,820 |
| Did not complete | 89 | $7,606 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $116.77/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at North Dakota State College of Science.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 107 | $9,115 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 20 | $6,347 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at North Dakota State College of Science.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for North Dakota State College of Science appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 956 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,250 |
| Middle income | $7,852 |
| High income | $8,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,548 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at North Dakota State College of Science.
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.