by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Alabama in Huntsville: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UAH, 37% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,668 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $5,183, which is 94.2% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at UAH, 34% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,439 annually. That amounts to 24.2% larger than the $5,183 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,878 in two years and roughly $25,756 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,439 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,230 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,358,304 |
The median student at UAH borrows $13,905 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,905 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,705 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,185 |
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 UAH.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,472 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,250 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UAH.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UAH.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 686 | $17,010 |
| Completed (graduates) | 245 | $20,297 |
| Did not complete | 441 | $16,193 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $241.35/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UAH.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 668 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 561 | $17,064 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 125 | $16,951 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UAH.
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 UAH follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1392 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,502 |
| Middle income | $13,075 |
| High income | $13,954 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,760 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,665 |
| Independent students | $15,245 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UAH.
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.
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.