by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Gould’s Academy, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Gould’s Academy, 75% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $6,186 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,186. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at Gould’s Academy (freshmen included), 56% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,602 each per year. That amounts to 6.7% more than the $6,186 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,204 by year two and around $26,408 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 56% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,602 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 157 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,036,503 |
The median student at Gould’s Academy borrows $7,767 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,767 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,767 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,476 |
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 Gould’s Academy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,303 |
| 25th percentile | $4,584 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $10,269 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Gould’s Academy.
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 Gould’s Academy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 87 | $7,342 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Gould’s Academy.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,767 |
| Middle income | $7,677 |
| High income | $7,917 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,767 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,767 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $7,767 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Gould’s Academy.
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
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.