by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Northern Colorado, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at University of Northern Colorado, 46% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,229 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,368, which is 97.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at University of Northern Colorado, 42% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,673 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 24.3% above the $5,368 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,346 in two years and roughly $26,692 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 42% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,673 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,414 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,108,430 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at University of Northern Colorado carry a median federal debt of $13,805 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,805 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,470 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at University of Northern Colorado.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,741 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at University of Northern Colorado.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for University of Northern Colorado.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2137 | $18,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1177 | $22,566 |
| Did not complete | 960 | $13,451 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $268.33/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 University of Northern Colorado.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2088 | $18,021 |
| No Stafford loan | 49 | $16,484 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1846 | $18,620 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 291 | $15,386 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at University of Northern Colorado.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for University of Northern Colorado is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2776 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,000 |
| Middle income | $12,750 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,461 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,200 |
| Independent students | $15,939 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of Northern Colorado.
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.
Did You Know?
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.