by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at SWIHA, 80% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $8,376 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $8,376. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Looking at all undergraduates at SWIHA, freshmen included, 46% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $8,133 a year. That is 2.9% below the $8,376 borrowed by freshmen.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $16,266 in two years and roughly $32,532 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $8,133 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 418 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,399,467 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at SWIHA carry a median federal debt of $7,917 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,917 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,750 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 SWIHA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,409 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,000 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at SWIHA.
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 SWIHA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 97 | $8,590 |
| Completed (graduates) | 75 | $9,511 |
| Did not complete | 22 | $7,050 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $113.1/mo.
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for SWIHA.
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 SWIHA is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 294 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,917 |
| Middle income | $7,917 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,917 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,917 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,354 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at SWIHA.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Important to Remember
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.