by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend CUNY Graduate School and University Center— 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.
Counting every undergraduate at The Graduate Center, 15% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $7,631 each per year.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $15,262 over two years and about $30,524 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 15% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,631 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 461 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,517,876 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at The Graduate Center carry a median federal debt of $9,800 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,800 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,584 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for The Graduate Center.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,000 |
| 25th percentile | $3,210 |
| 75th percentile | $12,577 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,987 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at The Graduate Center.
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 The Graduate Center.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 623 | $16,400 |
| Completed (graduates) | 321 | $16,107 |
| Did not complete | 302 | $16,655 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $191.53/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 The Graduate Center.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 226 | $18,909 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 397 | $16,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for The Graduate Center.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for The Graduate Center appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 436 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,233 |
| Middle income | $8,295 |
| High income | $10,553 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,588 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,851 |
| Independent students | $10,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for The Graduate Center.
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.
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.