by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Miami University-Oxford: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Miami University - Oxford, 42% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $10,353 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,379, or about 97.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. 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 Miami University - Oxford, 33% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,321 annually. It comes to 17.5% larger than the $5,379 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,642 over two years and about $25,284 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 33% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,321 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,477 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $34,620,304 |
The middle borrower at Miami University - Oxford owes $16,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Miami University - Oxford.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Miami University - Oxford.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Miami University - Oxford.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1744 | $27,581 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1182 | $34,512 |
| Did not complete | 562 | $20,509 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $410.38/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Miami University - Oxford.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1704 | $27,890 |
| No Stafford loan | 40 | $26,494 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1496 | $29,103 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 248 | $22,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Miami University - Oxford.
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 Miami University - Oxford follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4108 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,509 |
| Middle income | $15,597 |
| High income | $17,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,032 |
| Independent students | $14,834 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Miami University - Oxford.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
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.