by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend LIM College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At LIM specifically, 72% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $12,939 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,563. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
For undergraduates overall at LIM, 62% borrow through federal student loan programs, with a mean of $7,102 per year. That is 27.7% more than the $5,563 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,204 in two years and roughly $28,408 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 | 62% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,102 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 708 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,028,105 |
The median student at LIM borrows $17,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $17,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $24,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $10,750 |
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 LIM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LIM.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for LIM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 536 | $38,895 |
| Completed (graduates) | 293 | $51,301 |
| Did not complete | 243 | $31,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $610.02/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at LIM.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 526 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 509 | $39,844 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 27 | $28,343 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at LIM.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for LIM is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 426 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,750 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,834 |
| Independent students | $21,817 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for LIM.
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.
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.