by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At JWU Charlotte, 83% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $9,015 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $6,122. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at JWU Charlotte (freshmen included), 81% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $6,805 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 11.2% larger than the first-year federal average of $6,122.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,610 by year two and around $27,220 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 | 81% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,805 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 915 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,226,460 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at JWU Charlotte carry a median federal debt of $16,334 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $16,334 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $26,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 JWU Charlotte.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,666 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $28,300 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,750 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at JWU Charlotte.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at JWU Charlotte.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3594 | $25,707 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1686 | $34,260 |
| Did not complete | 1908 | $21,477 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $407.39/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 JWU Charlotte.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3556 | $25,978 |
| No Stafford loan | 38 | $10,075 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3440 | $26,158 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 154 | $15,441 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at JWU Charlotte.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for JWU Charlotte appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 7.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5362 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,250 |
| Middle income | $18,277 |
| High income | $14,250 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,666 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,502 |
| Independent students | $15,482 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at JWU Charlotte.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.