by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Wyoming— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at UW, 36% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $9,206 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,975, or about 90.5% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Looking at all undergraduates at UW, freshmen included, 29% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,267 per year. This is 26.0% more than the $4,975 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,534 in two years and roughly $25,068 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 29% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,267 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,316 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,514,236 |
The middle borrower at UW owes $12,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,586 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UW.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,160 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,449 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UW.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UW.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 746 | $15,229 |
| Completed (graduates) | 383 | $16,000 |
| Did not complete | 363 | $14,994 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $190.26/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UW.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 728 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 587 | $15,334 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 159 | $15,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UW.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for UW follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2145 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,100 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,250 |
| Independent students | $14,269 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UW.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
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.