by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at MIAD, 81% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $9,923 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,624. This meets or exceeds the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at MIAD, 78% take out federal student loans, for a typical $7,015 annually. That is 24.7% above the $5,624 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $14,030 in two years and roughly $28,060 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 78% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,015 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 692 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,854,057 |
The median student at MIAD borrows $15,750 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
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 MIAD.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,250 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at MIAD.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for MIAD.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 186 | $25,088 |
| Completed (graduates) | 91 | $37,230 |
| Did not complete | 95 | $19,075 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $442.7/mo.
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at MIAD.
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 MIAD follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 210 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,500 |
| Middle income | $19,250 |
| High income | $15,875 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,978 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,750 |
| Independent students | $18,125 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for MIAD.
The Difference Between 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.