by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Gwynedd Mercy University— 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.
For incoming students at Gwynedd - Mercy, 74% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $11,182 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,426, equal to roughly 98.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Gwynedd - Mercy, 70% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $7,881 per year. This is 45.2% higher than the $5,426 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $15,762 over two years and about $31,524 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 70% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,881 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 799 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,297,318 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Gwynedd - Mercy carry a median federal debt of $23,256 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,256 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,250 |
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 Gwynedd - Mercy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $10,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,647 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Gwynedd - Mercy.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Gwynedd - Mercy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 562 | $23,330 |
| Completed (graduates) | 304 | $27,000 |
| Did not complete | 258 | $17,537 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $321.06/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Gwynedd - Mercy.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 416 | $25,393 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 146 | $16,506 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Gwynedd - Mercy.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Gwynedd - Mercy is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 709 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
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 | $25,000 |
| Middle income | $23,250 |
| High income | $20,196 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $23,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,125 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,702 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Gwynedd - Mercy.
Subsidized vs. 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
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.