by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of North Carolina Wilmington: 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 UNCW specifically, 47% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $8,786 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,126, amounting to 93.2% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. 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 UNCW, 37% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,384 per year. This works out to 24.5% more than the $5,126 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,768 in two years and roughly $25,536 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 37% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,384 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,236 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $33,429,163 |
The median student at UNCW borrows $15,178 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,178 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UNCW.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,223 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,802 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UNCW.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at UNCW.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1865 | $19,501 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1255 | $22,737 |
| Did not complete | 610 | $16,979 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $270.37/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UNCW.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1830 | $19,567 |
| No Stafford loan | 35 | $18,608 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1558 | $20,169 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 307 | $16,524 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UNCW.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UNCW is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2423 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,750 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,300 |
| Independent students | $15,051 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UNCW.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.