by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Blue Cliff College - Lafayette: 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.
At Blue Cliff College - Lafayette specifically, 40% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $5,501 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,501. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap 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 Blue Cliff College - Lafayette, 76% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,396 per year. It comes to 16.3% higher than the $5,501 freshmen take on.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,792 after two years and $25,584 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 76% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,396 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 220 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,407,186 |
The middle borrower at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette owes $8,265 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,265 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,894 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $12,402 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,535 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 315 | $6,535 |
| Completed (graduates) | 194 | $7,205 |
| Did not complete | 121 | $5,140 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $85.68/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 290 | $6,517 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 25 | $7,500 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Blue Cliff College - Lafayette appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1680 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,265 |
| Middle income | $8,265 |
| High income | $6,365 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,265 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,265 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,334 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Blue Cliff College - Lafayette.
The Difference Between Subsidized and 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.
Worth Knowing
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.