by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend UPMC Mercy School of Nursing, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At UPMC Mercy School of Nursing specifically, 82% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $13,750 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $7,917. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing, freshmen included, 74% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $9,681 per year. That is 22.3% above the $7,917 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $19,362 across two years and $38,724 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 74% |
| Average federal loan per year | $9,681 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 226 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,187,936 |
The middle borrower at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing owes $12,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UPMC Mercy School of Nursing.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $14,800 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UPMC Mercy School of Nursing.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 42 | $17,751 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UPMC Mercy School of Nursing.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UPMC Mercy School of Nursing appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 35 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,321 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $15,250 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing.
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
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.