by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Maine at Presque Isle: 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.
Among first-year students at UMPI, 43% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $4,893 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,184, amounting to 76.1% 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 UMPI (freshmen included), 36% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $4,920 annually. That amounts to 17.6% above the freshman federal average of $4,184.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,840 over two years and about $19,680 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,920 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 495 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,435,291 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UMPI carry a median federal debt of $8,275 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,275 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,794 |
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 UMPI.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,828 |
| 25th percentile | $3,850 |
| 75th percentile | $20,224 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,105 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UMPI.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UMPI.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 83 | $8,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 21 | $9,200 |
| Did not complete | 62 | $7,058 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $109.4/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 UMPI.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 55 | $6,578 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 28 | $9,966 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UMPI.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UMPI is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 272 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,275 |
| Middle income | $8,250 |
| High income | $8,628 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,090 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,689 |
| Independent students | $7,856 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UMPI.
The Difference Between 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.
Worth Knowing
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.