by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of New Mexico-Taos Campus: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at UNM Taos, 8% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,317 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $6,317. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Looking at all undergraduates at UNM Taos, freshmen included, 29% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $1,863 per year. This is 70.5% smaller than the $6,317 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $3,726 across two years and $7,452 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $1,863 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 101 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $188,179 |
The median student at UNM Taos borrows $13,698 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,698 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,450 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,322 |
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 UNM Taos.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,820 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UNM Taos.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UNM Taos.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 879 | $12,107 |
| Completed (graduates) | 412 | $13,000 |
| Did not complete | 467 | $11,337 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $154.58/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 UNM Taos.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 858 | $12,053 |
| No Stafford loan | 21 | $12,781 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 607 | $10,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 272 | $15,155 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UNM Taos.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UNM Taos follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4873 |
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 | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $13,238 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,097 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UNM Taos.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.