by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh— 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 UW Oshkosh, 43% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $6,327 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $4,805, which is 87.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 UW Oshkosh, 40% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $5,943 in federal loans per year. It comes to 23.7% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,805.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,886 across two years and $23,772 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 40% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,943 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,070 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $18,246,048 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UW Oshkosh carry a median federal debt of $12,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 UW Oshkosh.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,288 |
| 75th percentile | $26,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,583 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UW Oshkosh.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UW Oshkosh.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1198 | $12,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 636 | $13,500 |
| Did not complete | 562 | $10,076 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $160.53/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UW Oshkosh.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1171 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 27 | $6,000 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1056 | $12,016 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 142 | $10,455 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UW Oshkosh.
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 UW Oshkosh follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2722 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $12,000 |
| Middle income | $14,072 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $15,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UW Oshkosh.
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.
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.