by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at BYU - H, 5% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,970 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,189, representing 94.3% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at BYU - H (freshmen included), 7% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $5,726 each per year. This works out to 10.3% higher than the $5,189 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,452 in two years and roughly $22,904 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 | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,726 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 209 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,196,730 |
The middle borrower at BYU - H owes $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,413 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,416 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 BYU - H.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,783 |
| 75th percentile | $11,716 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,975 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at BYU - H.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for BYU - H.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 36 | $9,316 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for BYU - H.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for BYU - H is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 330 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $4,500 |
| Middle income | $6,250 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,666 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,417 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $6,999 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at BYU - H.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Did You Know?
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.