by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Southwestern Christian University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At SCU specifically, 54% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $5,841 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $4,694, which is 85.3% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at SCU, freshmen included, 46% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,095 in federal loans per year. This is 29.8% more than the first-year federal average of $4,694.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,190 by year two and around $24,380 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 | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,095 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 163 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $993,416 |
The median student at SCU borrows $13,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,715 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,000 |
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 SCU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,243 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SCU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SCU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 84 | $18,032 |
| Completed (graduates) | 25 | $21,136 |
| Did not complete | 59 | $17,046 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $251.33/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SCU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 72 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. SCU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for SCU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 123 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,941 |
| Middle income | $14,383 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,375 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,010 |
| Independent students | $25,888 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SCU.
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.
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.