by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Lamson Institute: 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.
Looking at the entering class at Lamson Institute, 88% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, with a typical loan of $10,094 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
Federal loans alone average $8,465. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at Lamson Institute, 56% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $8,603 in federal loans per year. This works out to 1.6% higher than the freshman federal average of $8,465.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $17,206 by year two and around $34,412 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 56% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,603 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 416 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,578,673 |
The middle borrower at Lamson Institute owes $7,600 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,600 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,853 |
| Students who withdrew | $3,800 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Lamson Institute.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,800 |
| 25th percentile | $5,134 |
| 75th percentile | $8,867 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $9,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Lamson Institute.
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 Lamson Institute.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 105 | $5,956 |
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 Lamson Institute.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 93 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 12 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Lamson Institute.
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 Lamson Institute follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 16.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1121 |
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 | $7,600 |
| Middle income | $7,600 |
| High income | $5,133 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,600 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,600 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,133 |
| Independent students | $8,489 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Lamson Institute.
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.
Important to Remember
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.