by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Hannibal-LaGrange University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At HLGU specifically, 45% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $9,229 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $5,894. This reaches or tops the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at HLGU, freshmen included, 52% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,679 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 13.3% larger than the $5,894 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,358 across two years and $26,716 over four years. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 52% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,679 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 206 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,375,844 |
The median student at HLGU borrows $13,688 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,688 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,599 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 HLGU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,675 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,060 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at HLGU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for HLGU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 125 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 78 | $20,429 |
| Did not complete | 47 | $9,500 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $242.92/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at HLGU.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 114 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 11 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. HLGU.
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 HLGU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 337 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,707 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,062 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $14,645 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at HLGU.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.