by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Sonoma 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.
Among first-year students at SSU, 27% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $6,107 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,695, amounting to 85.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at SSU, 27% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,309 annually. That is 34.4% larger than the first-year federal average of $4,695.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,618 by year two and around $25,236 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,309 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,452 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,159,968 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at SSU carry a median federal debt of $13,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,705 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,000 |
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 SSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,768 |
| 75th percentile | $23,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at SSU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SSU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 930 | $23,772 |
| Completed (graduates) | 585 | $27,986 |
| Did not complete | 345 | $21,844 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $332.78/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SSU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 885 | $24,012 |
| No Stafford loan | 45 | $20,470 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 836 | $24,285 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 94 | $20,571 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SSU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for SSU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1464 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,875 |
| Independent students | $13,725 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SSU.
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
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.