by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend SUNY College at Potsdam, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At SUNY Potsdam, 66% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $6,521 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,109, equal to roughly 92.9% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at SUNY Potsdam (freshmen included), 62% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $6,263 in federal loans per year. It comes to 22.6% more than the $5,109 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,526 after two years and $25,052 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,263 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,216 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,615,802 |
The median student at SUNY Potsdam borrows $18,166 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,166 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
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 SUNY Potsdam.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,822 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,895 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SUNY Potsdam.
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 Potsdam.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 707 | $14,455 |
| Completed (graduates) | 348 | $19,000 |
| Did not complete | 359 | $11,604 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $225.93/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at SUNY Potsdam.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 695 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 12 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 676 | $14,433 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 31 | $17,690 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at SUNY Potsdam.
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 SUNY Potsdam appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1182 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,761 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $18,973 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,950 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $15,934 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for SUNY Potsdam.
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.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.