by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Stark State College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Stark State College, 23% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $4,694 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,686, representing 85.2% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at Stark State College, 40% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,374 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 14.7% more than the freshman federal average of $4,686.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,748 over two years and about $21,496 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 40% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,374 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,325 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $12,493,817 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Stark State College carry a median federal debt of $6,886 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,886 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,786 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,956 |
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 Stark State College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,950 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $19,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,972 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Stark State College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Stark State College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 759 | $10,965 |
| Completed (graduates) | 150 | $11,661 |
| Did not complete | 609 | $10,898 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $138.66/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 Stark State College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 747 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 398 | $10,530 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 361 | $11,099 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Stark State College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Stark State College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 21.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4854 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,010 |
| Middle income | $7,070 |
| High income | $6,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,163 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,337 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Stark State College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.