by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Saint Johns University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At SJU specifically, 59% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $10,449 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,218, amounting to 94.9% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at SJU, 55% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $6,305 in federal loans per year. It comes to 20.8% greater than the first-year federal average of $5,218.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,610 in two years and roughly $25,220 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 | 55% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,305 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 811 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,113,347 |
The median student at SJU borrows $23,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $23,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,600 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for SJU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,100 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at SJU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for SJU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 102 | $21,010 |
| Completed (graduates) | 63 | $32,000 |
| Did not complete | 39 | $16,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $380.51/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SJU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for SJU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 362 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $24,965 |
| High income | $23,860 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $24,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $23,125 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at SJU.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
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.