by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Lubbock Christian University, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at LCU, 79% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $7,424 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $5,811. 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.
Across the full undergraduate body at LCU (freshmen included), 75% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $10,846 annually. It comes to 86.6% more than the freshman federal average of $5,811.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $21,692 over two years and about $43,384 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 75% |
| Average federal loan per year | $10,846 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 910 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $9,870,065 |
The median student at LCU borrows $15,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $20,948 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at LCU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,640 |
| 25th percentile | $7,313 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at LCU.
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 LCU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 254 | $12,732 |
| Completed (graduates) | 156 | $14,664 |
| Did not complete | 98 | $11,020 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $174.37/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at LCU.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 236 | — |
| No Stafford loan this year | 18 | — |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. LCU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for LCU is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 663 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,373 |
| Middle income | $17,188 |
| High income | $15,333 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,375 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $17,750 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at LCU.
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.
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.