UF student debt below the national average

Students in UF’s class of 2015 owe about $9,000 less than the average college graduate.

Recent college graduates had an average of $30,000 in debt, and UF graduates averaged $21,028, wrote Donna Kolb, the senior associate director for the UF Office for Student Financial Affairs, in an email.

Statewide, the average debt was $23,379, according to a study from the Institute for College Access and Success.

For Karoline Gutierrez, a 21-year-old UF senior, the debt is worth it to get a degree in applied physiology and kinesiology from what she called the best school in the state. Despite this, she said she stresses about the $23,000 she already owes, only halfway through her final year.

“I could have stayed in Miami at the community college or (Florida International University) and had much more of my tuition — if not all — paid for,” Gutierrez said. “But I wanted to challenge myself and add more diversity to my experiences.”

Gutierrez said she hopes she’ll be able to pay off her degree loans when she’s a doctor.

“This is supposed to be the time of my life, and I don’t want to give up any opportunities because of money I don’t have now but will have in the future,” she said.

Kolb said she expects students like Gutierrez to be able to pay off loans.

“UF is committed to keeping costs low and assisting our students by advising them on responsible borrowing,” Kolb said.

via Flickr