by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of West Florida— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UWF specifically, 30% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,180 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $5,186, or about 94.3% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at UWF (freshmen included), 27% take out federal student loans, at an average of $7,013 annually. That is 35.2% greater than the first-year federal average of $5,186.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,026 after two years and $28,052 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,013 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,438 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,096,928 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UWF carry a median federal debt of $13,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,624 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,466 |
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 UWF.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,921 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UWF.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UWF.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 809 | $12,378 |
| Completed (graduates) | 350 | $12,269 |
| Did not complete | 459 | $12,378 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $145.89/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 UWF.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 791 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 524 | $12,990 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 285 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UWF.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UWF appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1895 |
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 | $13,750 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $12,618 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,115 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,625 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,757 |
| Independent students | $13,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UWF.
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.
Did You Know?
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.