by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Houston-Clear Lake— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UH Clear Lake specifically, 21% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $5,341 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,611, amounting to 83.8% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at UH Clear Lake, 28% take out federal student loans, averaging $7,011 each per year. That is 52.0% greater than the $4,611 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,022 over two years and about $28,044 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 28% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,011 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,709 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,981,695 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UH Clear Lake carry a median federal debt of $13,548 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,548 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,831 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,582 |
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 UH Clear Lake.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,647 |
| 75th percentile | $23,418 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,591 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UH Clear Lake.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UH Clear Lake.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 495 | $14,122 |
| Completed (graduates) | 268 | $14,731 |
| Did not complete | 227 | $13,361 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $175.17/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UH Clear Lake.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 475 | $13,732 |
| No Stafford loan | 20 | $16,267 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 311 | $12,638 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 184 | $15,923 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UH Clear Lake.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UH Clear Lake follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1437 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,500 |
| Middle income | $13,750 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $16,595 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UH Clear Lake.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
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.