by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Oakland City University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Oakland City, 53% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $5,494 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,674, representing 85.0% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at Oakland City, 45% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $5,994 annually. That amounts to 28.2% more than the first-year federal average of $4,674.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,988 across two years and $23,976 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,994 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 226 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,354,542 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Oakland City carry a median federal debt of $12,174 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,174 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,758 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Oakland City.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Oakland City.
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 Oakland City.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 71 | $8,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 46 | $10,197 |
| Did not complete | 25 | $6,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $121.25/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Oakland City.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 56 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 15 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Oakland City.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Oakland City appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 253 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,195 |
| Middle income | $13,113 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,489 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,500 |
| Independent students | $13,757 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Oakland City.
The Difference Between 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.
Important to Remember
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.