by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At SWOSU specifically, 34% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $5,204 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,852, equal to roughly 88.2% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at SWOSU, 36% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,204 a year. That amounts to 27.9% larger than the $4,852 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,408 across two years and $24,816 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,204 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,235 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,661,614 |
The middle borrower at SWOSU owes $11,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,954 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,648 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for SWOSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,573 |
| 25th percentile | $4,650 |
| 75th percentile | $18,300 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,460 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at SWOSU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at SWOSU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 395 | $10,976 |
| Completed (graduates) | 208 | $12,721 |
| Did not complete | 187 | $10,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $151.27/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 SWOSU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 325 | $11,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 70 | $10,391 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. SWOSU.
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 SWOSU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1305 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,813 |
| Independent students | $12,827 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SWOSU.
The Difference Between 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.
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.