by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend San Jose State University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at San Jose State, 23% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $5,287 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $4,893, which is 89.0% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at San Jose State, 20% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,429 in federal loans per year. This works out to 31.4% above the $4,893 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,858 across two years and $25,716 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 | 20% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,429 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,293 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $34,027,689 |
The middle borrower at San Jose State owes $12,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
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 San Jose State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,996 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at San Jose State.
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 San Jose State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2084 | $16,257 |
| Completed (graduates) | 82 | $20,820 |
| Did not complete | 2002 | $16,053 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $247.57/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at San Jose State.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2001 | $16,345 |
| No Stafford loan | 83 | $15,697 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1708 | $16,288 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 376 | $16,183 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at San Jose State.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for San Jose State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4485 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $11,500 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,250 |
| Independent students | $13,891 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at San Jose State.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
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.