by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Saginaw Valley State University— 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.
At Saginaw Valley State University, 48% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,820 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $4,933, representing 89.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Saginaw Valley State University, 52% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $6,134 annually. That amounts to 24.3% greater than the $4,933 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,268 after two years and $24,536 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 | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,134 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,116 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,113,588 |
The middle borrower at Saginaw Valley State University owes $17,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Saginaw Valley State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,198 |
| 25th percentile | $7,104 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,131 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Saginaw Valley State University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Saginaw Valley State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 945 | $13,502 |
| Completed (graduates) | 483 | $18,264 |
| Did not complete | 462 | $11,271 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $217.18/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 Saginaw Valley State University.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 896 | $13,557 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 49 | $11,987 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Saginaw Valley State University.
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 Saginaw Valley State University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2544 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,724 |
| Middle income | $17,304 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,001 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,649 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,500 |
| Independent students | $19,100 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Saginaw Valley State University.
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?
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.