by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of South Carolina Beaufort: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Among first-year students at USCB, 56% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,293 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,477, amounting to 99.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at USCB, 51% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,641 annually. That amounts to 21.3% above the $5,477 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,282 by year two and around $26,564 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,641 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,005 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,673,818 |
The median student at USCB borrows $13,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for USCB.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,460 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at USCB.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for USCB.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 375 | $16,363 |
| Completed (graduates) | 178 | $17,755 |
| Did not complete | 197 | $14,212 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $211.13/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at USCB.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 339 | $16,462 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 36 | $14,538 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. USCB.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for USCB follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 409 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,375 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,177 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,750 |
| Independent students | $16,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at USCB.
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
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.