by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for SUNY at Purchase College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Purchase College, 48% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $7,298 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,338, amounting to 97.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Purchase College, 43% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,288 a year. This is 17.8% more than the $5,338 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,576 over two years and about $25,152 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 43% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,288 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,327 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,343,885 |
The median student at Purchase College borrows $15,194 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,194 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,067 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Purchase College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,250 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,499 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Purchase College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Purchase College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 726 | $25,635 |
| Completed (graduates) | 455 | $30,798 |
| Did not complete | 271 | $17,386 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $366.22/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Purchase College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 699 | $25,820 |
| No Stafford loan | 27 | $17,044 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 657 | $26,583 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 69 | $17,310 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Purchase College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Purchase College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 929 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,394 |
| Middle income | $17,000 |
| High income | $14,259 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,124 |
| Independent students | $15,389 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Purchase 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.
Important to Remember
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.