by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Anne Arundel 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.
Looking at the entering class at AACC, 10% of first-year students take on loan debt, for an average of $4,943 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,663, equal to roughly 84.8% 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 AACC, 10% rely on federal student loans toward their education, with a mean of $5,641 each per year. That is 21.0% above the $4,663 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,282 in two years and roughly $22,564 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 10% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,641 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 888 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,009,268 |
The middle borrower at AACC owes $6,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,250 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,885 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for AACC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $11,798 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,100 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at AACC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for AACC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1127 | $18,456 |
| Completed (graduates) | 157 | $19,224 |
| Did not complete | 970 | $18,038 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $228.59/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at AACC.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1094 | $18,463 |
| No Stafford loan | 33 | $15,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 237 | $14,690 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 890 | $19,834 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at AACC.
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 AACC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1663 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,053 |
| Middle income | $5,525 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,633 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at AACC.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
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.