by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UT Rio Grande Valley, 14% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $3,905 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $3,894, representing 70.8% 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.
For undergraduates overall at UT Rio Grande Valley, 26% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $4,951 per year. It comes to 27.1% greater than the $3,894 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $9,902 across two years and $19,804 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 | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,951 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,076 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $35,030,117 |
The middle borrower at UT Rio Grande Valley owes $9,593 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,593 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,950 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 UT Rio Grande Valley.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,015 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $14,347 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $22,355 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UT Rio Grande Valley.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UT Rio Grande Valley.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1020 | $8,290 |
| Completed (graduates) | 502 | $8,107 |
| Did not complete | 518 | $8,455 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $96.4/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UT Rio Grande Valley.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1006 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 722 | $7,194 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 298 | $12,364 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UT Rio Grande Valley.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UT Rio Grande Valley follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3051 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,454 |
| Middle income | $9,216 |
| High income | $11,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,477 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,400 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,805 |
| Independent students | $12,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UT Rio Grande Valley.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
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.