by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of North Dakota, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UND, 59% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $12,313 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,338, amounting to 97.1% 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.
For undergraduates overall at UND, 45% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,668 annually. It comes to 24.9% above the $5,338 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,336 across two years and $26,672 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,668 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,196 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $27,977,793 |
The middle borrower at UND owes $15,238 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,238 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,057 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,332 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UND.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,825 |
| 25th percentile | $7,155 |
| 75th percentile | $27,271 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,800 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UND.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UND.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1048 | $15,226 |
| Completed (graduates) | 382 | $14,269 |
| Did not complete | 666 | $15,981 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $169.67/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 UND.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1026 | $15,226 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $14,868 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 620 | $13,652 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 428 | $18,205 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UND.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UND follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3004 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,067 |
| High income | $15,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,238 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,233 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $12,766 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UND.
The Difference Between 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.
Important to Remember
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.