by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of North Carolina School of the Arts, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UNCSA specifically, 48% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $7,769 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,108, or about 92.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at UNCSA (freshmen included), 47% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,342 per year. This works out to 24.2% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,108.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,684 in two years and roughly $25,368 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,342 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 421 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,670,187 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UNCSA carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,870 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 UNCSA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UNCSA.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UNCSA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 120 | $34,803 |
| Completed (graduates) | 86 | $44,645 |
| Did not complete | 34 | $27,340 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $530.88/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UNCSA.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UNCSA appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 182 |
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 | $19,119 |
| Middle income | $20,226 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,060 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,800 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UNCSA.
Subsidized and 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.
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.