by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Minnesota-Rochester, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UMN Rochester, 57% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $9,802 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,069, which is 92.2% 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.
For undergraduates overall at UMN Rochester, 51% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $5,907 annually. This is 16.5% larger than the $5,069 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,814 after two years and $23,628 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 | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,907 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 289 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,707,122 |
The median student at UMN Rochester borrows $16,727 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,727 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,249 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UMN Rochester.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $8,374 |
| 75th percentile | $25,182 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,795 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UMN Rochester.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UMN Rochester.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 4753 | $22,910 |
| Completed (graduates) | 3412 | $25,729 |
| Did not complete | 1341 | $19,097 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $305.95/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UMN Rochester.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 4684 | $22,919 |
| No Stafford loan | 69 | $22,808 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 4286 | $23,020 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 467 | $21,442 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UMN Rochester.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UMN Rochester is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 8975 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,990 |
| Middle income | $15,669 |
| High income | $17,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,180 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,018 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,500 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UMN Rochester.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.