by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Central Florida: 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 UCF specifically, 17% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,941 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,517. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Counting every undergraduate at UCF, 23% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,814 in federal loans per year. This is 23.5% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,517.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,628 after two years and $27,256 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,814 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 13,426 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $91,486,042 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UCF carry a median federal debt of $15,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,190 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,250 |
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 UCF.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,250 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,475 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UCF.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UCF.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2817 | $15,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1739 | $16,036 |
| Did not complete | 1078 | $14,818 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $190.69/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UCF.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2754 | $15,502 |
| No Stafford loan | 63 | $14,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2268 | $15,809 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 549 | $14,197 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UCF.
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 UCF appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7939 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $14,201 |
| High income | $15,745 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,750 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UCF.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Did You Know?
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.