by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of South Carolina-Sumter— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At USC Sumter specifically, 25% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $5,496 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,877, equal to roughly 88.7% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at USC Sumter, 26% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $5,222 a year. It comes to 7.1% above the first-year federal average of $4,877.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,444 over two years and about $20,888 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,222 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 164 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $856,424 |
The median student at USC Sumter borrows $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for USC Sumter.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,018 |
| 75th percentile | $12,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at USC Sumter.
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 USC Sumter.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 55 | $9,301 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at USC Sumter.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 34 | $8,782 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 21 | $14,856 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for USC Sumter.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for USC Sumter is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 282 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $6,250 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,910 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for USC Sumter.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.