by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Arizona, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at University of Arizona, 30% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $8,295 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,991, representing 90.7% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at University of Arizona, freshmen included, 26% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,297 in federal loans per year. This is 26.2% greater than the first-year federal average of $4,991.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,594 by year two and around $25,188 by the fourth year. 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 | $6,297 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 10,689 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $67,310,388 |
The middle borrower at University of Arizona owes $13,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,620 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 Arizona.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,950 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at University of Arizona.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for University of Arizona.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 4998 | $26,234 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2840 | $30,126 |
| Did not complete | 2158 | $22,624 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $358.23/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at University of Arizona.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4650 | $26,481 |
| No Stafford loan | 348 | $24,964 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 4243 | $27,950 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 755 | $20,905 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at University of Arizona.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for University of Arizona follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5692 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $13,000 |
| Middle income | $13,770 |
| High income | $14,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,419 |
| Independent students | $15,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at University of Arizona.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.