by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Indiana University-Indianapolis, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At IUPUI specifically, 33% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,200 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,671, representing 84.9% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical 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 IUPUI, 34% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,300 a year. That is 34.9% larger than the first-year federal average of $4,671.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,600 over two years and about $25,200 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,300 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,631 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $35,474,986 |
The middle borrower at IUPUI owes $13,337 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,337 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,250 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for IUPUI.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,875 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,854 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at IUPUI.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at IUPUI.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2846 | $15,895 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1669 | $17,205 |
| Did not complete | 1177 | $13,900 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $204.59/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at IUPUI.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2786 | $16,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 60 | $10,198 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2241 | $15,438 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 605 | $17,520 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at IUPUI.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for IUPUI is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7416 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,770 |
| Middle income | $13,500 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,607 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,602 |
| Independent students | $17,134 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for IUPUI.
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.
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.