by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Alvernia University— 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.
At Alvernia, 96% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, with a typical loan of $9,785 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,822, which is 87.7% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Alvernia, 83% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,006 in federal loans per year. It comes to 24.6% more than the $4,822 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,012 by year two and around $24,024 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 83% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,006 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,692 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,161,656 |
The middle borrower at Alvernia owes $20,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 Alvernia.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,220 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $31,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,999 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Alvernia.
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 Alvernia.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 454 | $25,032 |
| Completed (graduates) | 263 | $36,500 |
| Did not complete | 191 | $18,500 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $434.02/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Alvernia.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 407 | $26,666 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 47 | $12,800 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Alvernia.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Alvernia is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 729 |
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 | $18,799 |
| Middle income | $23,250 |
| High income | $21,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,840 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,663 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $23,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Alvernia.
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.
Did You Know?
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.