by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Longy School of Music of Bard College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
Looking at the entering class at Longy, 25% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,000 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,000. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Longy, 12% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,330 per year. This is 5.5% above the freshman federal average of $6,000.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,660 by year two and around $25,320 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,330 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $25,318 |
The middle borrower at Longy owes $19,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,254 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
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 Longy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Longy.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Longy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 257 | $27,200 |
| Completed (graduates) | 142 | $29,734 |
| Did not complete | 115 | $24,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $353.57/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 Longy.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 220 | $28,436 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 37 | $14,761 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Longy.
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 Longy follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 464 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,865 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $15,160 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Longy.
Subsidized vs. 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.