by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Bunker Hill Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at BHCC, 10% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $4,747 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $4,747, which is 86.3% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at BHCC (freshmen included), 11% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,009 per year. This works out to 26.6% higher than the freshman federal average of $4,747.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,018 in two years and roughly $24,036 over a four-year span. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 11% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,009 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 802 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $4,819,189 |
The middle borrower at BHCC owes $5,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,000 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for BHCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,300 |
| 25th percentile | $2,471 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $16,724 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at BHCC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at BHCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 724 | $12,715 |
| Completed (graduates) | 106 | $11,777 |
| Did not complete | 618 | $13,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $140.04/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BHCC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 702 | $13,000 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $7,518 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 127 | $10,885 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 597 | $13,325 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at BHCC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for BHCC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 11.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 467 |
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 | $5,953 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,300 |
| Independent students | $8,000 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at BHCC.
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
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.