by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Hawaii at Hilo: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At UH Hilo specifically, 40% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $6,408 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,064, or about 92.1% 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.
For undergraduates overall at UH Hilo, 32% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,787 annually. It comes to 34.0% more than the freshman federal average of $5,064.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,574 in two years and roughly $27,148 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 32% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,787 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 726 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,927,410 |
The median student at UH Hilo borrows $12,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 UH Hilo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,215 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,880 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,426 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UH Hilo.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UH Hilo.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 246 | $18,944 |
| Completed (graduates) | 113 | $20,688 |
| Did not complete | 133 | $17,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $246.0/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UH Hilo.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 202 | $18,944 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 44 | $19,210 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UH Hilo.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UH Hilo is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 722 |
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 | $14,600 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $10,375 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,105 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,250 |
| Independent students | $19,267 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UH Hilo.
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.
Important to Remember
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.