by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Russell Sage College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Russel Sage, 83% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $8,396 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,024, representing 91.3% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at Russel Sage, 79% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,633 a year. It comes to 32.0% higher than the $5,024 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,266 in two years and roughly $26,532 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 | 79% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,633 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 844 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,597,850 |
The middle borrower at Russel Sage owes $18,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,001 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Russel Sage.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,000 |
| 25th percentile | $10,362 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,313 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Russel Sage.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Russel Sage.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 443 | $21,087 |
| Completed (graduates) | 314 | $23,291 |
| Did not complete | 129 | $18,027 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $276.95/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Russel Sage.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 391 | $20,740 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 52 | $23,960 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Russel Sage.
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 Russel Sage is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 892 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $19,000 |
| High income | $16,545 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,875 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,750 |
| Independent students | $22,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Russel Sage.
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.
Did You Know?
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.