by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Athena Career Academy: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Athena Career Academy specifically, 74% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,762 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $6,762. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at Athena Career Academy, freshmen included, 90% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,131 a year. This works out to 9.3% smaller than the freshman federal average of $6,762.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,262 by year two and around $24,524 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 90% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,131 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 532 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,261,818 |
The median student at Athena Career Academy borrows $14,120 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,120 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,120 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
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 Athena Career Academy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,037 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $14,166 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,166 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Athena Career Academy.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Athena Career Academy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 34 | $8,440 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Athena Career Academy.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,120 |
| Middle income | $14,120 |
| High income | $14,120 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,120 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,120 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,455 |
| Independent students | $14,120 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Athena Career Academy.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
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.