by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Lincoln University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Lincoln, 84% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $7,068 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,941. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Lincoln, 79% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,709 per year. That amounts to 12.9% higher than the first-year federal average of $5,941.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $13,418 by year two and around $26,836 by the fourth year. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 79% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,709 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,357 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,104,062 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Lincoln carry a median federal debt of $22,862 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $22,862 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $28,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $12,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Lincoln.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $35,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Lincoln.
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 Lincoln.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 711 | $21,513 |
| Completed (graduates) | 365 | $25,309 |
| Did not complete | 346 | $19,881 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $300.95/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 Lincoln.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 701 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 10 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 694 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 17 | — |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Lincoln.
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 Lincoln is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 17.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 933 |
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 | $23,000 |
| Middle income | $22,000 |
| High income | $23,041 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $22,868 |
| Continuing-generation students | $22,450 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $21,500 |
| Independent students | $25,808 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Lincoln.
Subsidized vs. 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?
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.