by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of New Hampshire at Manchester: 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 UNH Manchester, 29% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $4,264 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,264, equal to roughly 77.5% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UNH Manchester, 47% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $7,063 annually. This works out to 65.6% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,264.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,126 across two years and $28,252 over a four-year span. 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 | $7,063 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 226 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,596,137 |
The middle borrower at UNH Manchester owes $22,498 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,498 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,814 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 UNH Manchester.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UNH Manchester.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UNH Manchester.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1648 | $30,725 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1106 | $36,545 |
| Did not complete | 542 | $24,555 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $434.56/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 UNH Manchester.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1637 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1451 | $32,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 197 | $20,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UNH Manchester.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UNH Manchester follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3729 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $22,704 |
| Middle income | $22,997 |
| High income | $21,801 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $22,580 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,125 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $22,542 |
| Independent students | $20,200 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UNH Manchester.
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.
Important to Remember
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.