by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Lansing Community College: 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.
Looking at the entering class at LCC, 19% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $4,984 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $4,718, or about 85.8% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. 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 LCC, 21% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $5,264 each per year. It comes to 11.6% greater than the first-year federal average of $4,718.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,528 across two years and $21,056 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 21% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,264 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,594 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $8,390,924 |
The median student at LCC borrows $5,613 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,613 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,700 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,987 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at LCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,600 |
| 25th percentile | $2,800 |
| 75th percentile | $13,559 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,149 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at LCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1267 | $12,291 |
| Completed (graduates) | 214 | $12,757 |
| Did not complete | 1053 | $12,040 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $151.69/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at LCC.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1221 | $12,576 |
| No Stafford loan | 46 | $8,738 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 596 | $9,054 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 671 | $15,131 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. LCC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for LCC is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 26.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5587 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
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 | $5,880 |
| Middle income | $5,610 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,724 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,375 |
| Independent students | $7,125 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for LCC.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
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.