State University of New York at Cortland Student Debt & Borrowing

This page focuses on the debt students take on to attend State University of New York at Cortland: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.

Freshman Loans
Average Undergraduate Loans
How Much Students Borrow
How Debt Is Distributed
Total Borrowing Including PLUS Loans
Borrowing by Loan Type
Repayment Burden
Student Loan Default Rates
Who Borrows the Most
Debt Equity Indicators
Understanding Student Loans
References

What Incoming Students Borrow at State University of New York at Cortland

Among first-year students at SUNY Cortland, 67% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $8,571 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.

The typical federal loan comes to $5,205, or about 94.6% 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.

Average Federal Loans for Undergrads at State University of New York at Cortland

Among all degree-seeking undergrads at SUNY Cortland, 61% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,275 a year. This is 20.6% greater than the $5,205 typical freshmen borrow.

Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,550 in two years and roughly $25,100 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.

Undergraduate federal borrowing	Value
Share using federal loans	61%
Average federal loan per year	$6,275
Undergraduates with a federal loan	3,582
Total federal loans (one year)	$22,477,170

Typical Student Debt at State University of New York at Cortland

The median student at SUNY Cortland borrows $17,500 of cumulative federal debt.

Borrower group	Median federal debt
All federal borrowers	$17,500
Students who completed (graduates)	$21,500
Students who withdrew	$8,457

Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.

Debt Spread by Percentile

Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at SUNY Cortland.

Percentile	Cumulative Federal Debt
10th percentile (lowest-debt students)	$3,750
25th percentile	$7,500
75th percentile	$26,613
90th percentile (highest-debt students)	$30,138

How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at SUNY Cortland.

Borrowing Including Parent and Grad PLUS Loans at State University of New York at Cortland

The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at SUNY Cortland.

Group	Borrowers	Median debt incl. PLUS
All borrowers	1088	$20,264
Completed (graduates)	686	$24,455
Did not complete	402	$17,474

Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $290.8/mo.

Borrowing by Loan Type at State University of New York at Cortland

The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at SUNY Cortland.

Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)

Cohort	Borrowers	Median debt incl. PLUS
Used a Stafford loan	1076	—
No Stafford loan	12	—

Current-Year Stafford Borrowers

Cohort	Borrowers	Median debt incl. PLUS
Stafford loan this year	972	$20,450
No Stafford loan this year	116	$18,805

Estimated Repayment for State University of New York at Cortland

The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at SUNY Cortland.

Estimated standard 10-year payment: $227.94/mo (graduates, standard federal repayment schedule)
Debt burden category: Low ($10-20k)
Debt spread across cohorts: approximately $26,388 between the lowest- and highest-debt typical-borrower cohort

Student Loan Default Rates at State University of New York at Cortland

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 SUNY Cortland appears below.

Metric	Value
2-year cohort default rate	2.2%
Borrowers in the cohort	1979

The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.

Who Borrows the Most at State University of New York at Cortland

Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.

By Family Income

Income tier	Median federal debt
Low income	$18,250
Middle income	$17,500
High income	$17,250

First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing

Cohort	Median federal debt
First-generation students	$17,972
Continuing-generation students	$16,750

By Dependency Status

Cohort	Median federal debt
Dependent students	$17,298
Independent students	$19,631

Debt Equity Indicators at State University of New York at Cortland

These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SUNY Cortland.

Difference in debt for Pell recipients: $3,000
First-gen vs continuing-gen differential: $1,222
Difference between income tiers: $1,000
Gender debt differential: $3,000
Pell inequity indicator: Yes — federal data flags this school for above-typical Pell-recipient debt inequity

Student Loan Basics

Subsidized vs. 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

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.

Official Links and Resources

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.