by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Central Oklahoma: 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.
Looking at the entering class at UCO, 40% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $8,044 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,260. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UCO, 34% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $7,250 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 15.8% more than the freshman federal average of $6,260.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,500 by year two and around $29,000 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 | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,250 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,468 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $25,142,619 |
The middle borrower at UCO owes $13,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,663 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UCO.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,750 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,949 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UCO.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UCO.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1060 | $14,539 |
| Completed (graduates) | 432 | $15,191 |
| Did not complete | 628 | $14,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $180.64/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 UCO.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1012 | $14,552 |
| No Stafford loan | 48 | $13,436 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 809 | $14,413 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 251 | $14,605 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UCO.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UCO appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3076 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,000 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,195 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,871 |
| Independent students | $17,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UCO.
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.
Did You Know?
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.