by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Iona University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Iona, 54% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $8,974 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,274, which is 95.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Iona, 50% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $6,303 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 19.5% greater than the first-year federal average of $5,274.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,606 after two years and $25,212 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 50% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,303 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,371 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,641,849 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Iona carry a median federal debt of $19,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,999 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Iona.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Iona.
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 Iona.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 862 | $35,261 |
| Completed (graduates) | 578 | $43,691 |
| Did not complete | 284 | $26,041 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $519.53/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Iona.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 834 | $36,023 |
| No Stafford loan | 28 | $21,083 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 806 | $36,206 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 56 | $25,885 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Iona.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Iona follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1091 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,435 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $19,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Iona.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.