by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Upper Iowa University: 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.
For incoming students at UIU, 64% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $7,232 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,547. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at UIU (freshmen included), 50% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $8,537 each per year. That amounts to 53.9% higher than the $5,547 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $17,074 by year two and around $34,148 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,537 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,013 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,648,396 |
The median student at UIU borrows $18,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UIU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $6,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,687 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,350 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UIU.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UIU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 665 | $11,918 |
| Completed (graduates) | 268 | $14,000 |
| Did not complete | 397 | $11,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $166.47/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at UIU.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 421 | $11,850 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 244 | $12,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UIU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UIU appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1841 |
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 | $19,255 |
| Middle income | $17,500 |
| High income | $15,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,225 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,450 |
| Independent students | $20,860 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for UIU.
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.