by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Lakeland 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 Lakeland, 96% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, borrowing on average $5,703 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,132, amounting to 75.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at Lakeland, 84% finance part of their studies with federal loans, at an average of $5,628 each per year. It comes to 36.2% larger than the freshman federal average of $4,132.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,256 across two years and $22,512 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 84% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,628 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,035 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,825,130 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Lakeland carry a median federal debt of $19,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $19,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,505 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Lakeland.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,667 |
| 25th percentile | $6,333 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,880 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Lakeland.
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 Lakeland.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 277 | $12,897 |
| Completed (graduates) | 156 | $15,268 |
| Did not complete | 121 | $11,685 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $181.55/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Lakeland.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 227 | $13,020 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 50 | $11,542 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Lakeland.
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 Lakeland follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 914 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $17,950 |
| Middle income | $20,000 |
| High income | $19,938 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,834 |
| Independent students | $21,145 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Lakeland.
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.
Important to Remember
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.