by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Southeastern Louisiana University— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Southeastern, 41% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, borrowing on average $5,726 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $4,921, which is 89.5% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Looking at all undergraduates at Southeastern, freshmen included, 43% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $5,829 a year. It comes to 18.5% greater than the $4,921 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $11,658 in two years and roughly $23,316 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 43% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,829 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 4,112 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $23,969,678 |
The middle borrower at Southeastern owes $11,077 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,077 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,113 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Southeastern.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,250 |
| 75th percentile | $20,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,406 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Southeastern.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at Southeastern.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1072 | $10,439 |
| Completed (graduates) | 388 | $10,611 |
| Did not complete | 684 | $10,200 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $126.18/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Southeastern.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1051 | $10,492 |
| No Stafford loan | 21 | $8,868 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 955 | $10,400 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 117 | $11,354 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Southeastern.
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 Southeastern is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2943 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,000 |
| Middle income | $11,838 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,972 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $14,416 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Southeastern.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
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.