by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Salina Area Technical College: 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.
At Salina Tech specifically, 33% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $4,508 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,508, equal to roughly 82.0% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Salina Tech, 36% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $3,783 per year. That amounts to 16.1% smaller than the $4,508 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $7,566 after two years and $15,132 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $3,783 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 125 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $472,857 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Salina Tech carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Salina Tech.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $6,503 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $11,543 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Salina Tech.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Salina Tech.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 54 | $9,183 |
| Completed (graduates) | 19 | $10,508 |
| Did not complete | 35 | $7,030 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $124.95/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Salina Tech.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 27 | $9,043 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 27 | $9,323 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Salina Tech.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Salina Tech follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 124 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $6,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Salina Tech.
The Difference Between 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.
Important to Remember
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.