by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Ohio State University-Main Campus— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at Ohio State, 32% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $9,087 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,237, representing 95.2% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Ohio State (freshmen included), 29% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,234 each per year. That is 19.0% larger than the $5,237 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,468 over two years and about $24,936 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 | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,234 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 13,122 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $81,805,308 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Ohio State carry a median federal debt of $14,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,976 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Ohio State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,350 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,700 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Ohio 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 Ohio State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 6065 | $20,783 |
| Completed (graduates) | 4152 | $25,868 |
| Did not complete | 1913 | $15,687 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $307.6/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Ohio State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 5935 | $20,955 |
| No Stafford loan | 130 | $14,946 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 5204 | $21,518 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 861 | $17,533 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Ohio State.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Ohio State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 11599 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,643 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $15,984 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,500 |
| Independent students | $15,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Ohio State.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.