by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of South Carolina-Upstate— 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 Upstate specifically, 58% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,677 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,632. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at USC Upstate, 55% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,729 each per year. That amounts to 19.5% greater than the freshman federal average of $5,632.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,458 by year two and around $26,916 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,729 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,204 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,829,852 |
The middle borrower at USC Upstate owes $15,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,310 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 USC Upstate.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,112 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $25,188 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at USC Upstate.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for USC Upstate.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 900 | $13,845 |
| Completed (graduates) | 397 | $14,836 |
| Did not complete | 503 | $13,096 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $176.42/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at USC Upstate.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 884 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 16 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 816 | $13,514 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 84 | $15,685 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for USC Upstate.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for USC Upstate is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1550 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,000 |
| Middle income | $14,940 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,852 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,903 |
| Independent students | $16,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at USC Upstate.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.