by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Ringling College of Art and Design— 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.
At Ringling College specifically, 37% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $15,276 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,448, amounting to 99.1% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Ringling College, 38% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $6,819 in federal loans per year. This is 25.2% greater than the $5,448 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,638 across two years and $27,276 after four. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 38% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,819 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 659 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,494,027 |
The middle borrower at Ringling College owes $27,000 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $27,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $27,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Ringling College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $12,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $35,500 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Ringling College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Ringling College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 299 | $87,768 |
| Completed (graduates) | 215 | $114,120 |
| Did not complete | 84 | $40,074 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $1357.01/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 Ringling College.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 277 | $91,374 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $56,550 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 275 | $93,970 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 24 | $50,788 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Ringling College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Ringling College appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.2% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 282 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $26,421 |
| Middle income | $27,000 |
| High income | $27,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $27,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $27,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $27,000 |
| Independent students | $32,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Ringling College.
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
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.