by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of St Thomas: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at UST, 31% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $5,933 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,992, which is 90.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Counting every undergraduate at UST, 36% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $6,956 annually. That is 39.3% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,992.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,912 after two years and $27,824 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,956 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,026 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,136,872 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UST carry a median federal debt of $12,548 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,548 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,928 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,250 |
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 UST.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,725 |
| 75th percentile | $26,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UST.
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 UST.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 324 | $15,619 |
| Completed (graduates) | 210 | $15,350 |
| Did not complete | 114 | $16,186 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $182.53/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UST.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 268 | $15,910 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 56 | $14,664 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. UST.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UST is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 511 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $14,255 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,473 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,473 |
| Independent students | $15,264 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UST.
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
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.