by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: 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.
For incoming students at UW - Stevens Point, 52% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,162 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $4,869, which is 88.5% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Across the full undergraduate body at UW - Stevens Point (freshmen included), 51% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $5,939 each per year. That is 22.0% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,869.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,878 across two years and $23,756 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 51% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,939 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,617 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $21,481,085 |
The middle borrower at UW - Stevens Point owes $14,674 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,674 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,503 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UW - Stevens Point.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,324 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,383 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UW - Stevens Point.
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 UW - Stevens Point.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 553 | $12,700 |
| Completed (graduates) | 317 | $14,012 |
| Did not complete | 236 | $11,568 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $166.62/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UW - Stevens Point.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 492 | $12,740 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 61 | $12,462 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UW - Stevens Point.
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 UW - Stevens Point follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2061 |
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 | $13,990 |
| Middle income | $14,144 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,500 |
| Independent students | $15,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UW - Stevens Point.
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.