by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Butler County 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 BC3, 23% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $5,346 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,802, representing 87.3% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at BC3, 22% take out federal student loans, at an average of $4,362 in federal loans per year. That is 9.2% smaller than the $4,802 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $8,724 in two years and roughly $17,448 by the fourth year. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,362 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 409 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,783,949 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at BC3 carry a median federal debt of $5,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,020 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 BC3.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,500 |
| 25th percentile | $2,674 |
| 75th percentile | $9,398 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $14,000 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at BC3.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for BC3.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 290 | $12,779 |
| Completed (graduates) | 22 | $9,906 |
| Did not complete | 268 | $13,220 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $117.79/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at BC3.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 122 | $8,901 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 168 | $16,030 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at BC3.
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 BC3 appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 850 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $4,000 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,655 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $4,750 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at BC3.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
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.