by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Georgia— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UGA, 20% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $6,825 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,139, or about 93.4% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. 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 UGA, 20% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,059 annually. It comes to 17.9% more than the first-year federal average of $5,139.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,118 across two years and $24,236 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 20% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,059 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 6,158 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $37,311,516 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UGA carry a median federal debt of $16,666 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,666 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UGA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,402 |
| 75th percentile | $25,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,926 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UGA.
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 UGA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3940 | $20,083 |
| Completed (graduates) | 3094 | $20,855 |
| Did not complete | 846 | $16,196 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $247.99/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UGA.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3770 | $20,155 |
| No Stafford loan | 170 | $17,042 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3512 | $20,301 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 428 | $18,592 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UGA.
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 UGA appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4817 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,250 |
| Middle income | $16,675 |
| High income | $16,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,238 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,500 |
| Independent students | $18,554 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UGA.
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?
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.