by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Miami: 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.
Looking at the entering class at U Miami, 27% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $11,802 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,341, or about 78.9% 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.
For undergraduates overall at U Miami, 27% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $6,250 annually. That is 44.0% more than the first-year federal average of $4,341.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,500 in two years and roughly $25,000 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,250 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,412 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $21,326,027 |
The middle borrower at U Miami owes $15,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,985 |
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 U Miami.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,331 |
| 25th percentile | $8,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at U Miami.
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 U Miami.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1116 | $34,543 |
| Completed (graduates) | 885 | $37,267 |
| Did not complete | 231 | $23,744 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $443.14/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 U Miami.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1072 | $33,650 |
| No Stafford loan | 44 | $48,493 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 974 | $35,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 142 | $29,089 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for U Miami.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for U Miami is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2893 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $15,500 |
| Middle income | $16,464 |
| High income | $14,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at U Miami.
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.
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.