by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend CUNY LaGuardia Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At LaGuardia, 2% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $4,742 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $4,742, equal to roughly 86.2% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at LaGuardia, 3% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $5,078 each per year. It comes to 7.1% more than the first-year federal average of $4,742.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,156 after two years and $20,312 after four. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 3% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,078 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 338 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,716,331 |
The middle borrower at LaGuardia owes $5,217 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,217 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $7,407 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,451 |
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 LaGuardia.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,500 |
| 75th percentile | $8,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LaGuardia.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at LaGuardia.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 545 | $10,250 |
| Completed (graduates) | 127 | $9,921 |
| Did not complete | 418 | $10,329 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $117.97/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at LaGuardia.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 525 | $10,284 |
| No Stafford loan | 20 | $6,348 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 77 | $11,781 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 468 | $10,060 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. LaGuardia.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for LaGuardia is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 483 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,948 |
| Middle income | $5,175 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,200 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,213 |
| Independent students | $6,499 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at LaGuardia.
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.
Did You Know?
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.