by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at UPR Rio Piedras, 2% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $3,609 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $3,609, which is 65.6% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at UPR Rio Piedras, 5% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, for a typical $4,631 per year. It comes to 28.3% above the $3,609 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $9,262 after two years and $18,524 by the fourth year. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 5% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,631 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 420 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,945,198 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UPR Rio Piedras carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $5,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UPR Rio Piedras.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $4,316 |
| 75th percentile | $8,800 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $12,953 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UPR Rio Piedras.
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 UPR Rio Piedras.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 70 | $10,752 |
| Completed (graduates) | 21 | $12,500 |
| Did not complete | 49 | $10,700 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $148.64/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UPR Rio Piedras.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 19 | $10,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 51 | $15,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UPR Rio Piedras.
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 UPR Rio Piedras follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 44 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $5,500 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $5,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UPR Rio Piedras.
The Difference Between 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
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.