by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Blackhawk Technical College: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At BTC specifically, 26% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $4,071 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federal loan is $3,805, representing 69.2% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at BTC (freshmen included), 27% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, borrowing on average $4,594 in federal loans per year. That amounts to 20.7% greater than the first-year federal average of $3,805.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,188 in two years and roughly $18,376 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 27% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,594 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 663 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,045,986 |
The median student at BTC borrows $5,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,550 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,529 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 BTC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,662 |
| 25th percentile | $2,250 |
| 75th percentile | $11,059 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $18,250 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at BTC.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at BTC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 132 | $9,441 |
| Completed (graduates) | 36 | $11,057 |
| Did not complete | 96 | $9,000 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $131.48/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BTC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 68 | $9,649 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 64 | $9,316 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. BTC.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. The federal two-year cohort default rate for BTC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 889 |
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.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $5,803 |
| Middle income | $5,250 |
| High income | $4,125 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,237 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,359 |
| Independent students | $5,852 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for BTC.
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.
Important to Remember
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.