by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Lesley 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.
Among first-year students at Lesley, 65% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $11,109 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,207, amounting to 94.7% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a 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 Lesley, 58% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $6,718 per year. It comes to 29.0% higher than the $5,207 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $13,436 by year two and around $26,872 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 | 58% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,718 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 723 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,857,103 |
The middle borrower at Lesley owes $15,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Lesley.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,196 |
| 25th percentile | $6,960 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Lesley.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Lesley.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 605 | $28,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 388 | $31,465 |
| Did not complete | 217 | $23,830 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $374.15/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Lesley.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 538 | $29,082 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 67 | $22,180 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Lesley.
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 Lesley is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2056 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $17,125 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,010 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,125 |
| Independent students | $14,956 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Lesley.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
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.