by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, 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 University of Oklahoma, 36% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $10,430 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,279, or about 96.0% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at University of Oklahoma, 33% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,402 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 21.3% greater than the freshman federal average of $5,279.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,804 over two years and about $25,608 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 33% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,402 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,117 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $45,562,237 |
The middle borrower at University of Oklahoma owes $15,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,654 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 Oklahoma.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,833 |
| 25th percentile | $6,750 |
| 75th percentile | $25,583 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,965 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at University of Oklahoma.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for University of Oklahoma.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2601 | $27,028 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1503 | $31,890 |
| Did not complete | 1098 | $22,839 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $379.21/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at University of Oklahoma.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2490 | $27,219 |
| No Stafford loan | 111 | $23,775 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2219 | $29,623 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 382 | $16,851 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at University of Oklahoma.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for University of Oklahoma appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5785 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,950 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $18,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of Oklahoma.
Subsidized vs. 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.
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.