by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of North Carolina Asheville: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UNCA specifically, 44% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,266 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,059, or about 92.0% 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at UNCA (freshmen included), 40% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,126 annually. This is 21.1% higher than the $5,059 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,252 by year two and around $24,504 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 40% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,126 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,117 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,842,449 |
The median student at UNCA borrows $14,138 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,138 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 UNCA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $24,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,904 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UNCA.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UNCA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 312 | $18,173 |
| Completed (graduates) | 154 | $20,305 |
| Did not complete | 158 | $15,513 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $241.45/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UNCA.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 244 | $17,844 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 68 | $18,844 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UNCA.
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 UNCA appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 671 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,514 |
| Middle income | $14,250 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,199 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,000 |
| Independent students | $16,030 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UNCA.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.