by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of California-Riverside, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UCR, 35% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $5,297 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,627, equal to roughly 84.1% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 UCR, 31% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $5,429 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 17.3% more than the $4,627 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $10,858 after two years and $21,716 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 | 31% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,429 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,027 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $38,149,091 |
The middle borrower at UCR owes $14,944 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,944 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,102 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UCR.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,202 |
| 25th percentile | $7,833 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,056 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UCR.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UCR.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2044 | $17,457 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1552 | $18,275 |
| Did not complete | 492 | $15,923 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $217.31/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at UCR.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1994 | $17,327 |
| No Stafford loan | 50 | $20,100 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1865 | $17,166 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 179 | $20,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UCR.
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 UCR follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3395 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,757 |
| Middle income | $14,750 |
| High income | $15,449 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,034 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,771 |
| Independent students | $15,464 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UCR.
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.