by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Juniata College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Juniata, 96% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,108 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,266, or about 95.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Counting every undergraduate at Juniata, 68% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,320 per year. That is 20.0% greater than the $5,266 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,640 after two years and $25,280 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 68% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,320 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 812 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,132,062 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Juniata carry a median federal debt of $23,858 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,858 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
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 Juniata.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Juniata.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Juniata.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 157 | $30,941 |
| Completed (graduates) | 103 | $43,364 |
| Did not complete | 54 | $17,635 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $515.64/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Juniata.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Juniata is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 297 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $26,613 |
| Middle income | $25,250 |
| High income | $23,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $25,435 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,250 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Juniata.
Subsidized and 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
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.