by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend St. John’s University-New York: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at STJ, 45% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $8,249 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federal loan is $5,358, or about 97.4% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at STJ (freshmen included), 44% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $10,359 per year. That is 93.3% above the $5,358 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $20,718 after two years and $41,436 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 44% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,359 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,321 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $44,762,267 |
The median student at STJ 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 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 STJ.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at STJ.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for STJ.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 3502 | $45,412 |
| Completed (graduates) | 2244 | $54,289 |
| Did not complete | 1258 | $31,935 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $645.55/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at STJ.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 3367 | $46,497 |
| No Stafford loan | 135 | $24,856 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 3228 | $47,412 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 274 | $24,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for STJ.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for STJ follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 4115 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for STJ.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
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.