by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Seattle University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Seattle U, 59% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,670 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,366, representing 97.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Seattle U (freshmen included), 50% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,817 per year. It comes to 27.0% greater than the first-year federal average of $5,366.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,634 by year two and around $27,268 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 | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,817 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,066 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,084,875 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Seattle U carry a median federal debt of $16,658 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,658 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,883 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,667 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Seattle U.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,166 |
| 25th percentile | $8,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Seattle U.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Seattle U.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 724 | $32,831 |
| Completed (graduates) | 534 | $37,520 |
| Did not complete | 190 | $25,703 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $446.15/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 Seattle U.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 712 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 657 | $34,476 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 67 | $20,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Seattle U.
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 Seattle U follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1800 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,268 |
| Middle income | $16,334 |
| High income | $15,900 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,125 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,292 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,905 |
| Independent students | $20,832 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Seattle U.
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.