by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Akron Main Campus: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At University of Akron Main Campus specifically, 43% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $6,891 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,320, amounting to 96.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at University of Akron Main Campus, 37% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $6,449 annually. This works out to 21.2% greater than the $5,320 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,898 by year two and around $25,796 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 37% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,449 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,708 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $23,911,662 |
The median student at University of Akron Main Campus borrows $15,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,500 |
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 University of Akron Main Campus.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,529 |
| 75th percentile | $29,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,775 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at University of Akron Main Campus.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at University of Akron Main Campus.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2164 | $18,436 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1303 | $22,000 |
| Did not complete | 861 | $15,040 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $261.6/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at University of Akron Main Campus.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2102 | $18,551 |
| No Stafford loan | 62 | $12,895 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1929 | $19,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 235 | $15,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for University of Akron Main Campus.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for University of Akron Main Campus follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7533 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,750 |
| Middle income | $16,250 |
| High income | $14,191 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,719 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of Akron Main Campus.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Did You Know?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.