by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Montana Academy of Salons, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Montana Academy, 44% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, averaging $7,178 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $7,178. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Montana Academy (freshmen included), 38% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $7,388 a year. That is 2.9% higher than the freshman federal average of $7,178.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $14,776 by year two and around $29,552 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,388 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 101 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $746,226 |
The middle borrower at Montana Academy owes $9,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,833 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,100 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Montana Academy.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,025 |
| 75th percentile | $13,478 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,355 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Montana Academy.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Montana Academy.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 19 | $9,700 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Montana Academy.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Montana Academy is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 49 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $9,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,944 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Montana Academy.
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.
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.