by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at SIUC, 57% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $7,182 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,182, equal to roughly 94.2% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at SIUC (freshmen included), 45% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,635 per year. That amounts to 28.0% larger than the $5,182 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,270 over two years and about $26,540 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,635 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,655 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $24,249,761 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at SIUC carry a median federal debt of $17,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,543 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at SIUC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,538 |
| 75th percentile | $26,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SIUC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SIUC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1471 | $16,445 |
| Completed (graduates) | 943 | $19,500 |
| Did not complete | 528 | $13,815 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $231.88/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SIUC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1443 | $16,500 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $15,882 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1274 | $16,465 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 197 | $16,445 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SIUC.
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 SIUC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4562 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,750 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,000 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for SIUC.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Did You Know?
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.