by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Southeastern 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.
Among first-year students at SEU, 55% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $7,328 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,470, representing 99.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at SEU, 55% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,572 in federal loans per year. That is 20.1% above the first-year federal average of $5,470.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,144 across two years and $26,288 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,572 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,558 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,810,481 |
The middle borrower at SEU owes $12,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for SEU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,905 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,966 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SEU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SEU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1237 | $19,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 623 | $22,632 |
| Did not complete | 614 | $16,220 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $269.12/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 SEU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1216 | $19,362 |
| No Stafford loan | 21 | $13,580 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1146 | $19,976 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 91 | $12,211 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SEU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for SEU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 889 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,332 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,299 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $13,522 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SEU.
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
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.