by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Prairie View A & M 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.
Among first-year students at PVAMU, 68% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $6,304 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,457, or about 99.2% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at PVAMU, 68% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,437 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 18.0% greater than the $5,457 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,874 after two years and $25,748 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 | 68% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,437 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,808 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $37,385,640 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at PVAMU carry a median federal debt of $17,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 PVAMU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,246 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $43,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at PVAMU.
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 PVAMU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1505 | $14,671 |
| Completed (graduates) | 698 | $16,012 |
| Did not complete | 807 | $13,793 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $190.4/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at PVAMU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1486 | $14,726 |
| No Stafford loan | 19 | $13,580 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1450 | $14,600 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 55 | $17,318 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for PVAMU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for PVAMU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 19.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2835 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,258 |
| Middle income | $19,300 |
| High income | $16,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,847 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,971 |
| Independent students | $19,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at PVAMU.
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.
Did You Know?
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.