by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Hartford, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UHart, 75% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $9,205 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,397, amounting to 98.1% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at UHart (freshmen included), 67% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,444 in federal loans per year. This works out to 19.4% above the first-year federal average of $5,397.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,888 by year two and around $25,776 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 67% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,444 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,721 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,532,806 |
The middle borrower at UHart owes $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,458 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UHart.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,793 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,100 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UHart.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UHart.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1131 | $33,415 |
| Completed (graduates) | 657 | $44,000 |
| Did not complete | 474 | $25,967 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $523.21/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 UHart.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1118 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 981 | $36,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 150 | $19,106 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UHart.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UHart appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1582 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UHart.
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?
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.