Indicator 21
Average Cumulative Debt of Graduating Seniors Who Borrowed, UC and Comparison Institutions, 2003-04 to 2007-08
On average, UC students who have taken out student loans graduate with less cumulative debt than students from other AAU public or private research universities.
The average student loan debt among UC borrowers in 2007-08 was about $15,000. This is equivalent to a monthly repayment schedule of about $170 a month for 10 years; longer repayment periods with lower payments are available.
A typical interest rate paid by a UC student borrower is about 6.8 percent; however, interest rates individual students will pay can vary depending on their specific loan program.
Source: UC Corporate Student System; Common Data Set (CDS).
UC figures, based on Corporate Student System loan records, represent the average cumulative borrowing among students who entered as freshmen, took out at least one loan at UC, and eventually graduated. Corresponding figures for comparison institutions are from the Peterson's version of the Common Data Set. Both sets of figures underestimate average borrowing since they may not include students who took out certain types of private loans and since they do not include interest that accrued while students were enrolled.
Average cumulative borrowing is expressed in constant 2008 dollars. Inflationary adjustments relied on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage-earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).