by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Azusa Pacific 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.
Among first-year students at Azusa Pacific, 46% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $6,528 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,572, representing 83.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Azusa Pacific, 48% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $7,224 per year. This is 58.0% higher than the $4,572 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,448 by year two and around $28,896 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 48% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,224 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,431 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,337,726 |
The middle borrower at Azusa Pacific owes $19,710 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,710 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,219 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Azusa Pacific.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,010 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Azusa Pacific.
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 Azusa Pacific.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1617 | $24,221 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1123 | $26,000 |
| Did not complete | 494 | $19,549 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $309.17/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Azusa Pacific.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1578 | $24,240 |
| No Stafford loan | 39 | $20,074 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1491 | $24,731 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 126 | $16,176 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Azusa Pacific.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Azusa Pacific is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2638 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,500 |
| Middle income | $21,000 |
| High income | $18,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,475 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $24,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Azusa Pacific.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.