by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Stevens-The Institute of Business & Arts— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Siba specifically, 100% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $5,361 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,361, amounting to 97.5% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Siba, 80% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $7,775 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 45.0% more than the freshman federal average of $5,361.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $15,550 over two years and about $31,100 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 80% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,775 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 76 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $590,916 |
The middle borrower at Siba owes $21,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $13,155 |
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 Siba.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $8,196 |
| 75th percentile | $37,338 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Siba.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Siba.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Siba appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 85 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,668 |
| Independent students | $21,493 |
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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.