by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Shaw University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Shaw University specifically, 78% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $5,309 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,916, amounting to 89.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at Shaw University, 71% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $5,821 per year. It comes to 18.4% greater than the $4,916 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,642 across two years and $23,284 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 71% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,821 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 598 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,481,076 |
The median student at Shaw University borrows $19,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $32,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Shaw University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $30,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Shaw University.
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 Shaw University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 378 | $15,979 |
| Completed (graduates) | 152 | $17,479 |
| Did not complete | 226 | $14,679 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $207.84/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Shaw University.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 366 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Shaw University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Shaw University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1045 |
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 | $21,347 |
| Middle income | $15,360 |
| High income | $13,438 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $25,910 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Shaw University.
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.
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.