by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Carolina University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Piedmont International University, 45% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, at roughly $7,411 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,355, which is 97.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at Piedmont International University, 45% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,247 annually. That is 16.7% greater than the $5,355 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $12,494 over two years and about $24,988 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 45% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,247 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 189 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,180,714 |
The middle borrower at Piedmont International University owes $11,005 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,005 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,287 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,417 |
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 Piedmont International University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $16,125 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,950 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Piedmont International University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Piedmont International University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 78 | $10,581 |
| Completed (graduates) | 32 | $11,554 |
| Did not complete | 46 | $10,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $137.39/mo.
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Piedmont International University.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Piedmont International University follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 71 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,250 |
| Middle income | $11,610 |
| High income | $10,135 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,568 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,250 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Piedmont International University.
The Difference Between 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.