by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Johnson C Smith 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.
Among first-year students at JCSU, 72% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $7,115 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $6,568. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit 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.
Counting every undergraduate at JCSU, 75% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $7,342 a year. This works out to 11.8% greater than the $6,568 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $14,684 over two years and about $29,368 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 75% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,342 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 789 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,792,666 |
The median student at JCSU borrows $20,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $20,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $30,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for JCSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,172 |
| 25th percentile | $8,289 |
| 75th percentile | $33,151 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $45,216 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at JCSU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for JCSU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 517 | $20,861 |
| Completed (graduates) | 207 | $26,635 |
| Did not complete | 310 | $18,801 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $316.72/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at JCSU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 506 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 492 | $21,466 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 25 | $12,790 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. JCSU.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for JCSU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 503 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $21,352 |
| Middle income | $20,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,686 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,032 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $27,606 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at JCSU.
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.
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.