by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for The College of Saint Scholastica, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At St. Scholastica specifically, 59% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $9,536 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,267, equal to roughly 95.8% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at St. Scholastica, freshmen included, 54% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $7,215 each per year. This works out to 37.0% above the first-year federal average of $5,267.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,430 over two years and about $28,860 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 54% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,215 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 935 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,745,937 |
The middle borrower at St. Scholastica owes $17,125 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,125 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,925 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 St. Scholastica.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,752 |
| 75th percentile | $25,321 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,530 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at St. Scholastica.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at St. Scholastica.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 376 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 261 | $16,000 |
| Did not complete | 115 | $13,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $190.26/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at St. Scholastica.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 317 | $16,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 59 | $10,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at St. Scholastica.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for St. Scholastica follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1144 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500 |
| Middle income | $16,250 |
| High income | $18,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,465 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,128 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,380 |
| Independent students | $14,834 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for St. Scholastica.
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
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.