by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of San Francisco— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at USFCA, 52% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $8,991 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,276, equal to roughly 95.9% 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at USFCA, freshmen included, 47% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,669 per year. This works out to 26.4% larger than the $5,276 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,338 in two years and roughly $26,676 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 | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,669 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,689 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,933,603 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at USFCA carry a median federal debt of $19,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,625 |
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 USFCA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $28,350 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at USFCA.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for USFCA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1187 | $38,144 |
| Completed (graduates) | 881 | $44,413 |
| Did not complete | 306 | $27,664 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $528.12/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at USFCA.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1164 | $38,262 |
| No Stafford loan | 23 | $36,692 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1059 | $41,010 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 128 | $20,711 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for USFCA.
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 USFCA is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2057 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $19,308 |
| High income | $18,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,750 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,750 |
| Independent students | $24,425 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at USFCA.
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
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.