by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Chattanooga State Community College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At Chattanooga State Community College specifically, 8% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, for an average of $4,945 per student, private and federal loans combined.
Federal loans alone average $4,945, amounting to 89.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Across the full undergraduate body at Chattanooga State Community College (freshmen included), 19% borrow through federal student loan programs, borrowing on average $6,486 each per year. That is 31.2% above the $4,945 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $12,972 by year two and around $25,944 across a four-year program. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 19% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,486 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 875 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,675,346 |
The median student at Chattanooga State Community College borrows $7,249 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $7,249 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,419 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 Chattanooga State Community College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,145 |
| 75th percentile | $14,216 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,750 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Chattanooga State Community College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Chattanooga State Community College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 448 | $10,397 |
| Completed (graduates) | 133 | $11,284 |
| Did not complete | 315 | $10,123 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $134.18/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Chattanooga State Community College.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 176 | $9,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 272 | $12,584 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for Chattanooga State Community College.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Chattanooga State Community College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 15.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2929 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,439 |
| Middle income | $6,685 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Chattanooga State Community College.
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.