by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of St Thomas— 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.
At UST MN specifically, 47% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $10,897 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,198, or about 94.5% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at UST MN, 44% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,273 per year. This is 20.7% higher than the $5,198 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,546 across two years and $25,092 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 44% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,273 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,660 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,687,264 |
The middle borrower at UST MN owes $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UST MN.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UST MN.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UST MN.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 666 | $22,791 |
| Completed (graduates) | 444 | $24,467 |
| Did not complete | 222 | $20,002 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $290.94/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UST MN.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 540 | $24,243 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 126 | $15,745 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UST MN.
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 UST MN is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2207 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $17,350 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UST MN.
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
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.