by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Stanbridge University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Stanbridge, 90% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $12,181 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $7,112. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at Stanbridge, 90% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $11,195 in federal loans per year. This is 57.4% greater than the $7,112 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $22,390 across two years and $44,780 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 90% |
| Average federal loan per year | $11,195 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,718 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,426,901 |
The median student at Stanbridge borrows $16,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Stanbridge.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,967 |
| 75th percentile | $25,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Stanbridge.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Stanbridge.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 276 | $14,369 |
| Completed (graduates) | 149 | $22,021 |
| Did not complete | 127 | $7,116 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $261.85/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 Stanbridge.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 264 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 249 | $15,751 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 27 | $6,944 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Stanbridge.
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 Stanbridge follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 234 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,498 |
| Middle income | $12,686 |
| High income | $16,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,032 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,950 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Stanbridge.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.