by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Portland: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at University of Portland, 45% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $8,145 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,235, representing 95.2% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at University of Portland, 39% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $6,412 a year. That amounts to 22.5% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,235.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,824 after two years and $25,648 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 39% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,412 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,211 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,764,407 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at University of Portland carry a median federal debt of $18,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,370 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,387 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for University of Portland.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,192 |
| 25th percentile | $10,404 |
| 75th percentile | $27,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at University of Portland.
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 University of Portland.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 682 | $46,051 |
| Completed (graduates) | 435 | $57,555 |
| Did not complete | 247 | $29,277 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $684.39/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 Portland.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 669 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 13 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 637 | $48,186 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 45 | $15,898 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. University of Portland.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for University of Portland is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 846 |
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 | $17,683 |
| Middle income | $19,093 |
| High income | $17,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,950 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,442 |
| Independent students | $24,877 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of Portland.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Worth Knowing
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.