by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Massachusetts-Amherst— 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 UMass Amherst, 47% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $9,035 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,309, amounting to 96.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at UMass Amherst (freshmen included), 47% take out federal student loans, averaging $6,459 in federal loans per year. It comes to 21.7% greater than the freshman federal average of $5,309.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,918 over two years and about $25,836 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,459 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 11,160 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $72,083,507 |
The median student at UMass Amherst borrows $20,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,763 |
| Students who withdrew | $17,112 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UMass Amherst.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UMass Amherst.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UMass Amherst.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2073 | $25,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 954 | $26,243 |
| Did not complete | 1119 | $24,064 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $312.06/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 UMass Amherst.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2032 | $25,024 |
| No Stafford loan | 41 | $25,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1658 | $24,801 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 415 | $27,763 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UMass Amherst.
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 UMass Amherst follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5055 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $20,000 |
| Middle income | $21,250 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,015 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UMass Amherst.
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?
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.