by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Utah State University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at USU, 20% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $7,059 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,944, amounting to 89.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at USU, 23% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,372 annually. It comes to 28.9% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,944.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,744 after two years and $25,488 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,372 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,767 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $30,375,613 |
The median student at USU borrows $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,340 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
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 USU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,500 |
| 25th percentile | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile | $17,125 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at USU.
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 USU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 670 | $12,554 |
| Completed (graduates) | 331 | $13,923 |
| Did not complete | 339 | $12,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $165.56/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at USU.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 646 | $12,554 |
| No Stafford loan | 24 | $12,451 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 437 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 233 | $15,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for USU.
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 USU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3875 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,255 |
| Middle income | $9,782 |
| High income | $8,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,433 |
| Independent students | $11,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at USU.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.