by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Mississippi University for Women: 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.
For incoming students at MUW, 57% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $6,511 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,591. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. 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 MUW, 51% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,904 a year. This is 41.4% more than the freshman federal average of $5,591.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $15,808 in two years and roughly $31,616 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,904 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 812 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,417,648 |
The middle borrower at MUW owes $13,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for MUW.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $22,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,138 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at MUW.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for MUW.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 249 | $8,592 |
| Completed (graduates) | 156 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 93 | $7,692 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at MUW.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 223 | $8,592 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 26 | $8,750 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. MUW.
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 MUW appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 712 |
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 | $15,800 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $12,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at MUW.
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.
Did You Know?
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.