by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: 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 UIUC, 29% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $6,759 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,942, amounting to 89.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at UIUC (freshmen included), 28% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $5,882 per year. That amounts to 19.0% greater than the $4,942 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $11,764 in two years and roughly $23,528 over a four-year span. 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 | $5,882 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 9,736 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $57,268,780 |
The middle borrower at UIUC owes $16,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 UIUC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $26,462 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UIUC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UIUC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 5086 | $30,510 |
| Completed (graduates) | 3907 | $34,511 |
| Did not complete | 1179 | $21,210 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $410.37/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 UIUC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4928 | $30,887 |
| No Stafford loan | 158 | $25,000 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 4411 | $32,180 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 675 | $22,250 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UIUC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UIUC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5535 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,613 |
| Middle income | $16,985 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,650 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,500 |
| Independent students | $15,732 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UIUC.
Subsidized vs. 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.