by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UNC Chapel Hill, 17% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,917 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,550, amounting to 82.7% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UNC Chapel Hill, 13% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $4,996 each per year. This works out to 9.8% greater than the $4,550 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $9,992 by year two and around $19,984 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 | 13% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,996 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,700 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $13,489,492 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UNC Chapel Hill carry a median federal debt of $12,989 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,989 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,470 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UNC Chapel Hill.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,856 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UNC Chapel Hill.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UNC Chapel Hill.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1556 | $23,332 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1206 | $25,072 |
| Did not complete | 350 | $18,206 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $298.13/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UNC Chapel Hill.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1510 | $23,332 |
| No Stafford loan | 46 | $22,997 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1105 | $24,161 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 451 | $21,352 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UNC Chapel Hill.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UNC Chapel Hill is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3728 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,636 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $14,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UNC Chapel Hill.
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.
Did You Know?
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.