by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of South Carolina-Columbia, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at UofSC, 48% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $11,052 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,412, amounting to 98.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. 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 UofSC (freshmen included), 42% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,319 each per year. This works out to 16.8% above the first-year federal average of $5,412.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,638 in two years and roughly $25,276 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,319 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 11,707 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $73,981,788 |
The median student at UofSC borrows $18,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 UofSC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UofSC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UofSC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3513 | $27,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2498 | $31,393 |
| Did not complete | 1015 | $21,252 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $373.3/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UofSC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3445 | $27,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 68 | $23,474 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3143 | $28,729 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 370 | $18,092 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UofSC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UofSC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5367 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $17,918 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $18,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,625 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,362 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,250 |
| Independent students | $22,063 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UofSC.
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?
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.