by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of La Verne, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At ULV specifically, 71% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $6,291 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The average federal loan is $5,444, equal to roughly 99.0% of the typical first-year dependent student borrowing cap of $5,500. 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 ULV, 64% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $7,319 a year. It comes to 34.4% above the $5,444 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $14,638 over two years and about $29,276 after four. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 64% |
| Average federal loan per year | $7,319 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,149 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $15,728,817 |
The median student at ULV borrows $21,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $21,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $15,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for ULV.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,250 |
| 25th percentile | $11,493 |
| 75th percentile | $30,688 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,334 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at ULV.
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 ULV.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 959 | $21,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 468 | $27,977 |
| Did not complete | 491 | $16,631 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $332.68/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 ULV.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 943 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 16 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 885 | $21,130 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 74 | $17,121 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at ULV.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for ULV appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 2.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2288 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $21,950 |
| Middle income | $21,250 |
| High income | $19,804 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $21,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,751 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $24,366 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at ULV.
The Difference Between 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.
Did You Know?
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.