by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Southern Utah 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.
At Southern Utah University, 25% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $5,697 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,476, representing 81.4% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year 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 Southern Utah University (freshmen included), 24% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $5,901 a year. That amounts to 31.8% more than the $4,476 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,802 over two years and about $23,604 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 | 24% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,901 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,270 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,394,748 |
The middle borrower at Southern Utah University owes $7,751 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,751 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Southern Utah University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $14,877 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $23,165 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Southern Utah University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Southern Utah University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 409 | $10,518 |
| Completed (graduates) | 81 | $12,400 |
| Did not complete | 328 | $10,398 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $147.45/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 Southern Utah University.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 398 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 179 | $11,550 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 230 | $10,015 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Southern Utah University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Southern Utah University is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1437 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $8,000 |
| High income | $6,626 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $7,000 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Southern Utah University.
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.
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.