by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Virginia State University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Virginia State specifically, 90% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $7,367 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $7,450. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at Virginia State, freshmen included, 76% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $9,791 annually. That is 31.4% larger than the first-year federal average of $7,450.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $19,582 in two years and roughly $39,164 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,791 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,654 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $35,777,580 |
The middle borrower at Virginia State owes $17,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,585 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Virginia State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,675 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $41,017 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Virginia State.
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 Virginia State.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1357 | $18,200 |
| Completed (graduates) | 541 | $22,181 |
| Did not complete | 816 | $16,506 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $263.76/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 Virginia State.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1329 | $18,707 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $6,152 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1281 | $19,150 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 76 | $10,034 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Virginia State.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Virginia State is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1617 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $17,805 |
| Middle income | $17,781 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,673 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,500 |
| Independent students | $19,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Virginia State.
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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.