by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Central Oregon 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.
Among first-year students at COCC, 27% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $6,702 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,577, equal to roughly 83.2% 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.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at COCC, 25% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $5,801 a year. That is 26.7% more than the $4,577 borrowed by freshmen.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $11,602 over two years and about $23,204 across a four-year program. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 25% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,801 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 901 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,226,371 |
The median student at COCC borrows $8,000 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $12,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $7,125 |
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 COCC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,833 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $20,061 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,322 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at COCC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for COCC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 298 | $13,905 |
| Completed (graduates) | 62 | $14,503 |
| Did not complete | 236 | $13,905 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $172.46/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at COCC.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 158 | $11,401 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 140 | $17,250 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. COCC.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for COCC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1920 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $7,305 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,617 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,933 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $10,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at COCC.
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.