by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Puerto Rico-Utuado— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at UPR Utuado, 1% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $3,500 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $3,500, representing 63.6% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at UPR Utuado, freshmen included, 6% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $4,275 annually. It comes to 22.1% above the first-year federal average of $3,500.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $8,550 in two years and roughly $17,100 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,275 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 20 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $85,500 |
The middle borrower at UPR Utuado owes $3,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $3,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $3,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,000 |
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 UPR Utuado.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $4,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $7,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UPR Utuado.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UPR Utuado.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UPR Utuado follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7955 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UPR Utuado.
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.
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.