by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Maryland Eastern Shore: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UMES, 59% of first-year students take on loan debt, with a typical loan of $6,285 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federally funded loan is $5,665. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at UMES, freshmen included, 54% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, averaging $6,319 a year. That amounts to 11.5% larger than the first-year federal average of $5,665.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,638 over two years and about $25,276 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 54% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,319 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,164 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,355,085 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UMES carry a median federal debt of $18,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 UMES.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,153 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UMES.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at UMES.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 526 | $20,050 |
| Completed (graduates) | 262 | $24,886 |
| Did not complete | 264 | $17,007 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $295.92/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UMES.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 511 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 474 | $20,248 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 52 | $18,802 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UMES.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UMES appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1065 |
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 | $18,750 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $15,540 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,283 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,825 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,000 |
| Independent students | $21,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UMES.
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.
Did You Know?
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.