by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Michigan-Flint: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At UM Flint specifically, 40% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $6,350 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $4,869, which is 88.5% 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at UM Flint, freshmen included, 49% take out federal student loans, for a typical $7,275 annually. That amounts to 49.4% above the freshman federal average of $4,869.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,550 in two years and roughly $29,100 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 49% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,275 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,037 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,818,273 |
The median student at UM Flint borrows $18,494 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,494 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UM Flint.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,422 |
| 25th percentile | $8,614 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $42,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UM Flint.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UM Flint.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 760 | $12,340 |
| Completed (graduates) | 394 | $12,953 |
| Did not complete | 366 | $11,627 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $154.02/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UM Flint.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 649 | $12,100 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 111 | $15,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UM Flint.
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 UM Flint is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2084 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $18,932 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $18,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,688 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,022 |
| Independent students | $20,700 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UM Flint.
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
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.