by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Bob Jones University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Bob Jones University, 22% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $6,816 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,995, representing 90.8% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 Bob Jones University, freshmen included, 27% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $5,794 annually. That amounts to 16.0% higher than the freshman federal average of $4,995.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,588 across two years and $23,176 over four years. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,794 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 589 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,412,506 |
The median student at Bob Jones University borrows $12,453 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,453 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $16,585 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Bob Jones University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,650 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Bob Jones University.
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 Bob Jones University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 130 | $16,361 |
| Completed (graduates) | 86 | $19,090 |
| Did not complete | 44 | $13,344 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $227.0/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Bob Jones University.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 119 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 11 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Bob Jones University.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Bob Jones University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 535 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,919 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,919 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,725 |
| Independent students | $5,516 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Bob Jones University.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.