by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Peru State College— 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.
For incoming students at Peru State, 66% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $4,911 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,740, or about 86.2% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Peru State, 56% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,466 annually. That amounts to 36.4% more than the freshman federal average of $4,740.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,932 in two years and roughly $25,864 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 56% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,466 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 645 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,170,728 |
The median student at Peru State borrows $12,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,875 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Peru State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,990 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,252 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Peru State.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Peru State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 361 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 97 | $13,517 |
| Did not complete | 264 | $11,028 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $160.73/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 Peru State.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 349 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 299 | $12,076 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 62 | $11,566 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Peru 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 Peru State appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 538 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,608 |
| Middle income | $14,000 |
| High income | $10,691 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,587 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,313 |
| Independent students | $16,479 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Peru State.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.