by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts— 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.
Looking at the entering class at MCLA, 90% of first-year students take on loan debt, borrowing on average $6,176 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,022, representing 73.1% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at MCLA, 68% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $7,275 per year. This is 80.9% higher than the $4,022 typical freshmen borrow.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,550 across two years and $29,100 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 68% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,275 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 508 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,695,505 |
The median student at MCLA borrows $15,750 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,750 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
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 MCLA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,598 |
| 75th percentile | $26,668 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,105 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at MCLA.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at MCLA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 187 | $12,874 |
| Completed (graduates) | 95 | $15,000 |
| Did not complete | 92 | $10,749 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $178.37/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at MCLA.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 154 | $12,703 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 33 | $15,835 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at MCLA.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The official Department of Education two-year default rate for MCLA is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 475 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $17,000 |
| Middle income | $15,115 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,725 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $15,531 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at MCLA.
Subsidized and 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?
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.