by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Southwestern 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.
Among first-year students at Southwestern, 50% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $7,647 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,073, equal to roughly 92.2% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at Southwestern, 46% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,073 per year. It comes to 19.7% higher than the $5,073 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,146 after two years and $24,292 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,073 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 664 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,032,396 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Southwestern carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,250 |
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 Southwestern.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,650 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Southwestern.
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 Southwestern.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 230 | $34,834 |
| Completed (graduates) | 163 | $46,546 |
| Did not complete | 67 | $18,784 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $553.48/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Southwestern.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 218 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Southwestern.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Southwestern appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 214 |
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 | $24,750 |
| Middle income | $16,000 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $21,043 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Southwestern.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.