by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Saint Xavier University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At SXU, 90% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $4,745 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,346, representing 79.0% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at SXU (freshmen included), 87% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $5,369 a year. This works out to 23.5% higher than the $4,346 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,738 by year two and around $21,476 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 87% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,369 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,630 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,119,698 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at SXU carry a median federal debt of $16,699 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,699 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,223 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 SXU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,554 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SXU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SXU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 490 | $17,494 |
| Completed (graduates) | 317 | $20,742 |
| Did not complete | 173 | $14,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $246.64/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SXU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 428 | $18,315 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 62 | $12,286 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at SXU.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for SXU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1512 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,086 |
| Middle income | $17,535 |
| High income | $18,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,884 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,432 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,046 |
| Independent students | $19,693 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SXU.
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.
Did You Know?
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.