by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Savannah 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.
At Savannah State University specifically, 75% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $6,171 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,657. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Savannah State University, freshmen included, 68% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,388 a year. It comes to 12.9% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,657.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,776 by year two and around $25,552 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 68% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,388 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,878 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,996,636 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Savannah State University carry a median federal debt of $16,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $28,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Savannah State University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,473 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Savannah State University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Savannah State University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1072 | $12,521 |
| Completed (graduates) | 403 | $15,692 |
| Did not complete | 669 | $11,009 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $186.59/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Savannah State University.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1056 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 16 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1032 | $12,567 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 40 | $9,701 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Savannah State University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Savannah State University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1123 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,750 |
| Middle income | $14,000 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,170 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,665 |
| Independent students | $19,544 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Savannah State University.
Subsidized vs. 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.