by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania— 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.
For incoming students at Ship, 71% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $8,667 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,490, amounting to 99.8% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at Ship (freshmen included), 62% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $6,182 a year. That amounts to 12.6% more than the freshman federal average of $5,490.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,364 over two years and about $24,728 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,182 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,571 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $15,893,930 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Ship carry a median federal debt of $16,192 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,192 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Ship.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,030 |
| 25th percentile | $6,699 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Ship.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Ship.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1087 | $20,654 |
| Completed (graduates) | 596 | $28,373 |
| Did not complete | 491 | $15,052 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $337.39/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Ship.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1075 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 994 | $20,774 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 93 | $17,062 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Ship.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Ship follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2024 |
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 | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $17,173 |
| High income | $17,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,652 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,192 |
| Independent students | $16,227 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Ship.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.