by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Saint Mary: 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 St. Mary, 91% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $7,988 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $6,883. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the 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 St. Mary, 80% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $9,245 annually. It comes to 34.3% more than the first-year federal average of $6,883.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $18,490 in two years and roughly $36,980 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 80% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,245 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 712 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,582,283 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at University of St. Mary carry a median federal debt of $14,817 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,817 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,018 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,962 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for University of St. Mary.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at University of St. Mary.
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 St. Mary.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 242 | $15,533 |
| Completed (graduates) | 135 | $20,026 |
| Did not complete | 107 | $11,292 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $238.13/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at University of St. Mary.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 222 | $15,533 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 20 | $16,097 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. University of St. Mary.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for University of St. Mary is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 305 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $14,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,000 |
| Independent students | $21,492 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at University of St. Mary.
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.
Important to Remember
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.