by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of North Florida: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UNF specifically, 27% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,983 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $4,803, representing 87.3% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at UNF (freshmen included), 23% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,825 in federal loans per year. This is 21.3% greater than the $4,803 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,650 by year two and around $23,300 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 | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,825 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,237 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $18,854,546 |
The middle borrower at UNF owes $11,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,531 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,895 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UNF.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,009 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21,423 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,024 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UNF.
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 UNF.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 873 | $13,278 |
| Completed (graduates) | 500 | $13,835 |
| Did not complete | 373 | $12,434 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $164.51/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UNF.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 853 | $13,280 |
| No Stafford loan | 20 | $12,812 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 674 | $13,438 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 199 | $13,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UNF.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UNF follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2699 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,043 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $11,168 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,998 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $13,988 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UNF.
Subsidized and 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.
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.