by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of South Florida: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at USF Tampa, 25% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $9,423 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $7,458. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. 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 USF Tampa, freshmen included, 24% take out federal student loans, averaging $7,936 per year. It comes to 6.4% higher than the first-year federal average of $7,458.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $15,872 after two years and $31,744 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 24% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,936 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 8,892 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $70,566,543 |
The median student at USF Tampa borrows $14,976 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,976 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $17,988 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,284 |
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 USF Tampa.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $7,250 |
| 75th percentile | $26,395 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at USF Tampa.
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 USF Tampa.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3038 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1926 | $15,541 |
| Did not complete | 1112 | $14,008 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $184.8/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at USF Tampa.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2976 | $15,031 |
| No Stafford loan | 62 | $11,919 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2459 | $15,036 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 579 | $14,800 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for USF Tampa.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for USF Tampa follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 9115 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $14,490 |
| High income | $15,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,715 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,223 |
| Independent students | $17,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for USF Tampa.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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
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.