by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Colorado Boulder: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at CU - Boulder, 31% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $10,899 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $5,185, which is 94.3% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at CU - Boulder, 25% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,203 annually. That is 19.6% above the freshman federal average of $5,185.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,406 over two years and about $24,812 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 25% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,203 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,925 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $49,159,933 |
The middle borrower at CU - Boulder owes $13,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for CU - Boulder.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CU - Boulder.
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 CU - Boulder.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3330 | $38,610 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1475 | $46,340 |
| Did not complete | 1855 | $34,223 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $551.03/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 CU - Boulder.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3149 | $38,478 |
| No Stafford loan | 181 | $42,392 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2725 | $42,414 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 605 | $25,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CU - Boulder.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CU - Boulder follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4575 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,000 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,887 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,801 |
| Independent students | $16,837 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CU - Boulder.
Subsidized vs. 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.