by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Livingstone 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 Livingstone College, 74% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $6,308 per student, private and federal loans combined.
On the federal side, the average loan is $6,131. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Livingstone College, freshmen included, 78% finance part of their studies with federal loans, borrowing on average $6,900 in federal loans per year. This is 12.5% above the first-year federal average of $6,131.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,800 by year two and around $27,600 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 78% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,900 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 642 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,429,498 |
The middle borrower at Livingstone College owes $26,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $26,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $31,125 |
| Students who withdrew | $19,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Livingstone College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $29,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $44,755 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Livingstone College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Livingstone College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 276 | $21,783 |
| Completed (graduates) | 137 | $25,088 |
| Did not complete | 139 | $20,515 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $298.32/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Livingstone College.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for Livingstone College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 382 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $26,250 |
| Middle income | $26,872 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $26,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $27,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $26,000 |
| Independent students | $26,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Livingstone College.
Subsidized vs. 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?
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.