When healthcare providers look at a person's cholesterol levels, they include total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol. The "total" number may be misleading, however, because a person can have a healthy total cholesterol level and still have low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol. Total cholesterol levels over 240 mg/dL are considered high; levels between 200 and 239 mg/dL are considered borderline high. A total cholesterol level under 200 mg/dL is ideal.