by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Stanford University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Stanford, 7% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $11,418 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,949, which is 90.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Stanford, freshmen included, 6% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $5,873 in federal loans per year. It comes to 18.7% greater than the $4,949 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,746 over two years and about $23,492 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,873 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 499 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,930,498 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Stanford carry a median federal debt of $9,851 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,851 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Stanford.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,846 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Stanford.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Stanford.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 435 | $33,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 246 | $38,333 |
| Did not complete | 189 | $28,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $455.82/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 Stanford.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 390 | $33,108 |
| No Stafford loan | 45 | $32,050 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 190 | $42,363 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 245 | $26,867 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Stanford.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Stanford is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1297 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $6,500 |
| Middle income | $7,213 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,413 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,067 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,350 |
| Independent students | $7,725 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Stanford.
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.
Worth Knowing
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.