by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Queens University of Charlotte: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Queens, 47% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $9,346 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,274, or about 95.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Queens, 71% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $4,593 annually. This works out to 12.9% less than the $5,274 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $9,186 in two years and roughly $18,372 over a four-year span. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 71% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,593 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 967 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,441,027 |
The median student at Queens borrows $19,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,500 |
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 Queens.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $9,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Queens.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Queens.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 480 | $20,752 |
| Completed (graduates) | 297 | $22,545 |
| Did not complete | 183 | $18,852 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $268.08/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Queens.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 411 | $22,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 69 | $17,026 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Queens.
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 Queens appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 688 |
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 | $20,250 |
| Middle income | $19,575 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $20,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,170 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Queens.
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.
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.