by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For undergraduates overall at LSU Health - New Orleans, 55% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,882 in federal loans per year.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,764 by year two and around $27,528 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 | $6,882 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 462 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,179,389 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at LSU Health - New Orleans carry a median federal debt of $18,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $18,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,875 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 LSU Health - New Orleans.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,662 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LSU Health - New Orleans.
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 LSU Health - New Orleans.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 171 | $16,935 |
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at LSU Health - New Orleans.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 147 | $17,060 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 24 | $14,250 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. LSU Health - New Orleans.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for LSU Health - New Orleans appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 0.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 654 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,713 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $15,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,573 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $23,000 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at LSU Health - New Orleans.
Subsidized and 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.