by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo, 8% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $4,500 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,500, equal to roughly 81.8% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo, freshmen included, 27% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,034 per year. That amounts to 34.1% above the $4,500 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,068 by year two and around $24,136 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,034 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 74 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $446,484 |
The median student at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo borrows $11,337 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,337 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $15,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,142 |
| 25th percentile | $3,900 |
| 75th percentile | $17,700 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
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 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 41 | $6,085 |
| Completed (graduates) | 20 | $5,711 |
| Did not complete | 21 | $6,085 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $67.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 29 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 20.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1941 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $11,600 |
| High income | $15,626 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,200 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $15,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo.
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.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.