by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Oklahoma City University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at OCU, 46% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $7,998 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,325, which is 96.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Looking at all undergraduates at OCU, freshmen included, 45% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,871 a year. It comes to 29.0% higher than the $5,325 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,742 across two years and $27,484 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,871 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 649 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,459,005 |
The median student at OCU borrows $15,250 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,835 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 OCU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,140 |
| 25th percentile | $8,354 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,625 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at OCU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for OCU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 420 | $31,827 |
| Completed (graduates) | 302 | $44,054 |
| Did not complete | 118 | $21,770 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $523.85/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at OCU.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 407 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 386 | $33,508 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 34 | $16,951 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for OCU.
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 OCU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 788 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $15,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,828 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,500 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at OCU.
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.
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.