by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Lander University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Lander University specifically, 66% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $6,864 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,240, which is 95.3% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a 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.
Looking at all undergraduates at Lander University, freshmen included, 53% rely on federal student loans toward their education, averaging $6,270 per year. That is 19.7% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,240.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,540 over two years and about $25,080 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 53% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,270 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,787 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $11,203,616 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Lander University carry a median federal debt of $12,503 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,503 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Lander University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,162 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,520 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Lander University.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Lander University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 688 | $12,532 |
| Completed (graduates) | 321 | $16,919 |
| Did not complete | 367 | $10,810 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $201.18/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Lander University.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 658 | $12,532 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 30 | $12,193 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Lander University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Lander University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 788 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,750 |
| Middle income | $12,746 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,046 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,250 |
| Independent students | $17,016 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Lander University.
The Difference Between 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.