by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Sterling College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Sterling College specifically, 67% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $6,692 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,514. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. 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 Sterling College, 58% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,742 annually. This works out to 22.3% more than the $5,514 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,484 in two years and roughly $26,968 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 58% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,742 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 332 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,238,178 |
The median student at Sterling College borrows $12,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,625 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Sterling College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,174 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,400 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Sterling College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Sterling College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 140 | $17,502 |
| Completed (graduates) | 53 | $24,508 |
| Did not complete | 87 | $13,826 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $291.43/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Sterling College.
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 Sterling College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 235 |
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 | $11,500 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $12,650 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,213 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $9,344 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Sterling College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.