by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Blue Ridge Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at BRCC, 6% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, with a typical loan of $5,116 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $4,166, equal to roughly 75.7% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. 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 BRCC, 6% rely on federal student loans toward their education, at an average of $4,926 each per year. This is 18.2% greater than the freshman federal average of $4,166.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $9,852 in two years and roughly $19,704 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 6% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,926 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 169 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $832,440 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at BRCC carry a median federal debt of $6,500 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,409 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for BRCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,800 |
| 25th percentile | $3,250 |
| 75th percentile | $12,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,318 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at BRCC.
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 BRCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 243 | $13,990 |
| Completed (graduates) | 61 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 182 | $15,781 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BRCC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 69 | $12,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 174 | $15,582 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. BRCC.
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 BRCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 13.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 464 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
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 | $8,726 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $6,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at BRCC.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Subsidized loans pause interest while you are in school; unsubsidized loans do not. That difference compounds over four years, so the type of loan you take matters as much as the amount.
Worth Knowing
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.