by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Montana State University Billings— 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.
Among first-year students at Montana State University - Billings, 45% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $5,273 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $4,788, representing 87.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Montana State University - Billings, freshmen included, 39% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,244 a year. That is 30.4% greater than the $4,788 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,488 across two years and $24,976 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 | 39% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,244 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,066 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,655,778 |
The middle borrower at Montana State University - Billings owes $10,086 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $10,086 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,209 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,782 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Montana State University - Billings.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,625 |
| 25th percentile | $4,648 |
| 75th percentile | $19,745 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,889 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Montana State University - Billings.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Montana State University - Billings.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 408 | $10,941 |
| Completed (graduates) | 133 | $10,259 |
| Did not complete | 275 | $11,205 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $121.99/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 Montana State University - Billings.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 306 | $10,035 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 102 | $14,995 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Montana State University - Billings.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Montana State University - Billings is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1567 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,296 |
| Middle income | $9,953 |
| High income | $10,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,342 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,750 |
| Independent students | $12,336 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Montana State University - Billings.
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?
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.