by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Southern Arkansas University Tech, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At SAU Tech, 16% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $2,299 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $2,299, equal to roughly 41.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at SAU Tech (freshmen included), 15% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $5,834 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 153.8% greater than the freshman federal average of $2,299.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,668 in two years and roughly $23,336 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 15% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,834 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 98 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $571,714 |
The median student at SAU Tech borrows $4,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $4,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $6,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,450 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for SAU Tech.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,300 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $7,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $11,336 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at SAU Tech.
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 SAU Tech.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 75 | $8,308 |
| Completed (graduates) | 41 | $8,500 |
| Did not complete | 34 | $7,670 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $101.07/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at SAU Tech.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 21 | $8,840 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 54 | $8,254 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. SAU Tech.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for SAU Tech is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 22.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 192 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,774 |
| Middle income | $5,000 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $4,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,525 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,000 |
| Independent students | $5,667 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SAU Tech.
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.