by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Alaska Anchorage: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at UAA, 18% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $6,695 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,454, equal to roughly 99.2% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UAA, 20% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,706 in federal loans per year. This works out to 23.0% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,454.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,412 in two years and roughly $26,824 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 20% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,706 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,399 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,381,180 |
The middle borrower at UAA owes $11,231 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,231 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,210 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UAA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,556 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $22,322 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,491 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UAA.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UAA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 605 | $14,196 |
| Completed (graduates) | 167 | $15,360 |
| Did not complete | 438 | $13,928 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $182.65/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UAA.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 591 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 386 | $14,330 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 219 | $14,056 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UAA.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UAA is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2671 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $11,222 |
| High income | $10,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,068 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $9,103 |
| Independent students | $14,553 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UAA.
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
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.