by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Mercy University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Mercy specifically, 41% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,334 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $4,938, representing 89.8% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Mercy, 53% take out federal student loans, at an average of $7,434 per year. This works out to 50.5% more than the $4,938 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $14,868 after two years and $29,736 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,434 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,952 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $21,944,957 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Mercy carry a median federal debt of $15,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,637 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Mercy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,171 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,762 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Mercy.
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 Mercy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1422 | $18,301 |
| Completed (graduates) | 832 | $20,710 |
| Did not complete | 590 | $16,215 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $246.26/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Mercy.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1411 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 11 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1150 | $18,143 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 272 | $18,653 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Mercy.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Mercy appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 3077 |
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 | $14,901 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $16,250 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,200 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,225 |
| Independent students | $17,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Mercy.
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.