by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Southern University and A & M College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Southern University and A & M College specifically, 86% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $9,018 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $8,577. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Southern University and A & M College, 79% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,634 annually. That is 22.7% smaller than the freshman federal average of $8,577.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,268 after two years and $26,536 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 79% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,634 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,745 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $31,478,592 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Southern University and A & M College carry a median federal debt of $15,455 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,455 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $29,251 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Southern University and A & M College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,725 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Southern University and A & M College.
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 Southern University and A & M College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1544 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 602 | $16,237 |
| Did not complete | 942 | $10,837 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $193.08/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Southern University and A & M College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1520 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 24 | $10,231 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1402 | $13,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 142 | $6,750 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Southern University and A & M College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Southern University and A & M College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2385 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $15,250 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $16,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,875 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $19,719 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Southern University and A & M College.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
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.