by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Leeward Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
At Leeward CC specifically, 5% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $5,761 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,761. That sits at or beyond the $5,500 first-year federal limit for a typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Leeward CC, 7% take out federal student loans, at an average of $6,221 annually. It comes to 8.0% higher than the freshman federal average of $5,761.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,442 across two years and $24,884 over a four-year span. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 7% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,221 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 234 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,455,706 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Leeward CC carry a median federal debt of $5,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,970 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,086 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at Leeward CC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,510 |
| 25th percentile | $2,559 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,081 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Leeward CC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Leeward CC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 317 | $15,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 52 | $14,615 |
| Did not complete | 265 | $15,088 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $173.79/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Leeward CC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 36 | $14,399 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 281 | $15,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Leeward CC.
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 Leeward CC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 12.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 216 |
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 | $6,113 |
| Middle income | $5,679 |
| High income | $5,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,493 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,980 |
| Independent students | $7,785 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Leeward CC.
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
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.