by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Northwestern State University of Louisiana— 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.
Among first-year students at NSU, 49% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, for an average of $6,181 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,363, representing 97.5% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
For undergraduates overall at NSU, 47% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,972 in federal loans per year. That is 30.0% more than the freshman federal average of $5,363.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,944 across two years and $27,888 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,972 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,774 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $19,341,361 |
The middle borrower at NSU owes $15,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $9,713 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for NSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at NSU.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for NSU.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 963 | $9,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 368 | $11,900 |
| Did not complete | 595 | $8,702 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $141.5/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at NSU.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 949 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 14 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 822 | $9,604 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 141 | $8,818 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at NSU.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for NSU follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2093 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,750 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $14,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,486 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $18,314 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at NSU.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.