by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Ohio State University-Lima Campus: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at Ohio State University - Lima Campus, 38% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, at roughly $5,034 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,506, amounting to 81.9% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Ohio State University - Lima Campus, 38% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $5,498 each per year. That is 22.0% higher than the $4,506 freshmen take on.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $10,996 by year two and around $21,992 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 | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,498 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 248 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,363,559 |
The middle borrower at Ohio State University - Lima Campus owes $14,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $19,976 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,000 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,350 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,700 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 6065 | $20,783 |
| Completed (graduates) | 4152 | $25,868 |
| Did not complete | 1913 | $15,687 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $307.6/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 Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 5935 | $20,955 |
| No Stafford loan | 130 | $14,946 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 5204 | $21,518 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 861 | $17,533 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Ohio State University - Lima Campus follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 11599 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,643 |
| Middle income | $13,000 |
| High income | $15,984 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,500 |
| Independent students | $15,000 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Ohio State University - Lima Campus.
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
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.