by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend South Georgia State College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At South Georgia State College specifically, 30% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $5,316 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,316, representing 96.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at South Georgia State College, 32% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,111 a year. It comes to 15.0% greater than the freshman federal average of $5,316.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,222 by year two and around $24,444 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 | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,111 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 504 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,080,175 |
The middle borrower at South Georgia State College owes $7,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 South Georgia State College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,697 |
| 25th percentile | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile | $10,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at South Georgia State College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at South Georgia State College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 181 | $6,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 29 | $12,003 |
| Did not complete | 152 | $5,655 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $142.73/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at South Georgia State College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 149 | $6,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 32 | $7,156 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at South Georgia State College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for South Georgia State College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 664 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,250 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,125 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,730 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at South Georgia State College.
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.
Important to Remember
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.