by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Stetson University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Stetson specifically, 51% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $7,645 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,025, which is 91.4% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at Stetson, 47% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,081 a year. This is 21.0% above the $5,025 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,162 by year two and around $24,324 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,081 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,085 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,597,394 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Stetson carry a median federal debt of $15,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 Stetson.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Stetson.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Stetson.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 547 | $33,645 |
| Completed (graduates) | 361 | $48,703 |
| Did not complete | 186 | $23,328 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $579.13/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Stetson.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 531 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 16 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 495 | $36,298 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 52 | $19,122 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Stetson.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Stetson follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1036 |
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 | $16,000 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Stetson.
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.
Important to Remember
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.