by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend La Salle University: 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 Salle, 52% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $10,728 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $8,476. 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at La Salle, 52% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $9,939 each per year. This is 17.3% above the $8,476 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $19,878 after two years and $39,756 across a four-year program. 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 | $9,939 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,026 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $10,197,308 |
The median student at La Salle borrows $17,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 La Salle.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,000 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,236 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at La Salle.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at La Salle.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1016 | $24,368 |
| Completed (graduates) | 496 | $31,871 |
| Did not complete | 520 | $19,499 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $378.98/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at La Salle.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1001 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 766 | $27,416 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 250 | $16,372 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for La Salle.
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 La Salle appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1659 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $16,750 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $16,661 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,250 |
| Independent students | $18,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at La Salle.
Subsidized vs. 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?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.