by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Atlantic Cape Community College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Atlantic Cape Community College, 6% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, at roughly $4,696 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,696, representing 85.4% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Looking at all undergraduates at Atlantic Cape Community College, freshmen included, 8% rely on federal student loans toward their education, borrowing on average $5,388 each per year. It comes to 14.7% greater than the $4,696 freshmen take on.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $10,776 in two years and roughly $21,552 over four years. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 8% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,388 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 309 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,664,838 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Atlantic Cape Community College carry a median federal debt of $7,382 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,382 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,792 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Atlantic Cape Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Atlantic Cape Community College.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at Atlantic Cape Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 343 | $14,872 |
| Completed (graduates) | 53 | $14,730 |
| Did not complete | 290 | $15,112 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $175.16/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 325 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 18 | — |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 92 | $11,956 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 251 | $17,000 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Atlantic Cape Community College.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Atlantic Cape Community College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 18.9% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 801 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,269 |
| Middle income | $6,469 |
| High income | $6,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,762 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $6,100 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Atlantic Cape Community College.
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.
Did You Know?
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.