by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of New England— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At UNE specifically, 76% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $13,149 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,205, or about 94.6% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at UNE (freshmen included), 72% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $6,528 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 25.4% more than the $5,205 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,056 after two years and $26,112 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 72% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,528 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,581 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,321,140 |
The middle borrower at UNE owes $20,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,766 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UNE.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $8,815 |
| 75th percentile | $30,600 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,200 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UNE.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UNE.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1550 | $27,928 |
| Completed (graduates) | 697 | $29,675 |
| Did not complete | 853 | $26,500 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $352.87/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UNE.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1539 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 768 | $29,209 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 782 | $26,479 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UNE.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UNE is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1242 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,250 |
| Middle income | $22,625 |
| High income | $19,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,354 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UNE.
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.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.