by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Oakland University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Oakland, 34% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $5,612 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,719, representing 85.8% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Oakland, 38% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,654 in federal loans per year. This is 41.0% higher than the first-year federal average of $4,719.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,308 across two years and $26,616 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,654 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,753 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $31,625,133 |
The middle borrower at Oakland owes $16,787 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,787 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,298 |
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 Oakland.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,049 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,326 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Oakland.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Oakland.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2433 | $15,936 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1404 | $17,858 |
| Did not complete | 1029 | $13,868 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $212.35/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Oakland.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2406 | $15,935 |
| No Stafford loan | 27 | $16,774 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2131 | $15,256 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 302 | $19,871 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Oakland.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Oakland follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3590 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500 |
| Middle income | $17,168 |
| High income | $16,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,228 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,240 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Oakland.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.