by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Community College of Aurora, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at CCA, 12% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $5,257 apiece. This figure includes both private and federally funded student loans.
Federal loans alone average $4,954, which is 90.1% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
Counting every undergraduate at CCA, 17% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $5,853 per year. It comes to 18.1% more than the $4,954 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,706 by year two and around $23,412 over four years. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 17% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,853 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 557 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,260,275 |
The median student at CCA borrows $6,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,500 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CCA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,201 |
| 75th percentile | $11,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CCA.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at CCA.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 443 | $11,452 |
| Completed (graduates) | 66 | $10,000 |
| Did not complete | 377 | $11,500 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $118.91/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CCA.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 164 | $9,910 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 279 | $12,400 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at CCA.
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 CCA follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 16.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1350 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,871 |
| Middle income | $6,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,713 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,250 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CCA.
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
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.