by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Louisiana Tech University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at Louisiana Tech, 40% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $6,007 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,116, equal to roughly 93.0% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at Louisiana Tech, 36% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $5,981 per year. It comes to 16.9% larger than the freshman federal average of $5,116.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,962 in two years and roughly $23,924 across a four-year program. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 36% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,981 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,833 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $16,943,491 |
The median student at Louisiana Tech borrows $15,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,135 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Louisiana Tech.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,765 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Louisiana Tech.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Louisiana Tech.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1304 | $13,848 |
| Completed (graduates) | 674 | $18,071 |
| Did not complete | 630 | $10,781 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $214.88/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 Louisiana Tech.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1271 | $13,991 |
| No Stafford loan | 33 | $9,445 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1175 | $14,048 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 129 | $11,762 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Louisiana Tech.
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 Louisiana Tech follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 5.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1467 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,083 |
| Middle income | $14,850 |
| High income | $15,091 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,535 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,850 |
| Independent students | $16,084 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Louisiana Tech.
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?
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.