by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend La James International College-Ft Dodge: 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.
For incoming students at La James International College-Ft Dodge, 74% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $5,984 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,984. This is at or above the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing cap that applies to the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at La James International College-Ft Dodge, 72% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $7,608 each per year. This is 27.1% above the freshman federal average of $5,984.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $15,216 in two years and roughly $30,432 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 72% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,608 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 23 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $174,982 |
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at La James International College-Ft Dodge.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $13,009 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at La James International College-Ft Dodge.
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 La James International College-Ft Dodge is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 109 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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
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.