by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for University of Louisiana at Monroe— 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 ULM, 48% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, with a typical loan of $5,934 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,275, which is 95.9% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at ULM, freshmen included, 46% finance part of their studies with federal loans, averaging $6,491 a year. It comes to 23.1% more than the $5,275 borrowed by freshmen.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,982 by year two and around $25,964 after four. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 46% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,491 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,274 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,760,976 |
The middle borrower at ULM owes $15,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $21,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,062 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for ULM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $22,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,461 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at ULM.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for ULM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 623 | $10,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 334 | $10,174 |
| Did not complete | 289 | $9,903 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $120.98/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at ULM.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 543 | $9,500 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 80 | $12,797 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for ULM.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for ULM is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 8.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1770 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,959 |
| Middle income | $15,250 |
| High income | $14,599 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,250 |
| Independent students | $18,600 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for ULM.
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.
Important to Remember
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.