by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for College of Central Florida— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at CF, 14% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, averaging $5,658 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,658. That is at or past the $5,500 federal first-year limit for the typical dependent freshman. Bear in mind the undergraduate averages later on cover federal loans only, whereas this freshman total folds in private loans too.
Counting every undergraduate at CF, 22% finance part of their studies with federal loans, with a mean of $6,507 annually. It comes to 15.0% more than the $5,658 freshmen take on.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $13,014 after two years and $26,028 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 | 22% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,507 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,015 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $6,604,893 |
The median student at CF borrows $8,550 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $8,550 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,500 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CF.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,450 |
| 75th percentile | $14,250 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,403 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at CF.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CF.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 184 | $8,375 |
| Completed (graduates) | 63 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 121 | $8,000 |
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 CF.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 85 | $7,800 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 99 | $9,158 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CF.
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 CF appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 21.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1184 |
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.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,210 |
| Middle income | $8,010 |
| High income | $6,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,819 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,972 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $11,890 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at CF.
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.
Worth Knowing
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.