by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for John Paul the Great Catholic University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At JPCatholic specifically, 67% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $5,914 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,310, which is 96.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
For undergraduates overall at JPCatholic, 53% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $7,665 annually. That is 44.4% more than the $5,310 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $15,330 in two years and roughly $30,660 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,665 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 157 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,203,420 |
The median student at JPCatholic borrows $21,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,968 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
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 JPCatholic.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,999 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,985 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at JPCatholic.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for JPCatholic.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 68 | $28,404 |
| Completed (graduates) | 41 | $48,230 |
| Did not complete | 27 | $13,207 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $573.51/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for JPCatholic.
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 | $24,166 |
| Middle income | $21,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,551 |
| Continuing-generation students | $21,834 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at JPCatholic.
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
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.