by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of California-Los Angeles: 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 UCLA, 18% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,079 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,768, equal to roughly 86.7% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at UCLA, 19% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $5,715 per year. This works out to 19.9% greater than the $4,768 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,430 across two years and $22,860 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 19% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,715 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 6,202 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $35,442,446 |
The median student at UCLA borrows $12,983 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,983 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,804 |
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 UCLA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,184 |
| 25th percentile | $7,200 |
| 75th percentile | $22,938 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,235 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UCLA.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at UCLA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 5024 | $24,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2845 | $26,176 |
| Did not complete | 2179 | $21,060 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $311.26/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UCLA.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4829 | $23,843 |
| No Stafford loan | 195 | $28,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2973 | $25,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 2051 | $22,278 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UCLA.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UCLA follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 6803 |
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 | $11,723 |
| Middle income | $12,538 |
| High income | $14,339 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,724 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $11,253 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UCLA.
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
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.