by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Mary: 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 UMary, 57% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $8,951 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,122, amounting to 93.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UMary, 52% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $7,033 annually. This is 37.3% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,122.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,066 in two years and roughly $28,132 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,033 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,178 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,284,922 |
The middle borrower at UMary owes $18,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UMary.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,196 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UMary.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UMary.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 218 | $11,509 |
| Completed (graduates) | 131 | $13,500 |
| Did not complete | 87 | $11,120 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $160.53/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 UMary.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 175 | $11,125 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 43 | $12,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UMary.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UMary appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1031 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,359 |
| Middle income | $18,404 |
| High income | $18,760 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,550 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $19,244 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UMary.
The Difference Between 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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.