by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Community College of Beaver County: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at CCBC, 33% of freshmen borrow to help pay for their first year, borrowing on average $9,458 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The average federal loan is $4,950, or about 90.0% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at CCBC, 31% rely on federal student loans toward their education, for a typical $6,136 per year. That is 24.0% higher than the $4,950 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,272 over two years and about $24,544 after four. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 31% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,136 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 340 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,086,328 |
The median student at CCBC borrows $9,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $9,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $14,923 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,593 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 CCBC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,170 |
| 25th percentile | $3,500 |
| 75th percentile | $13,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $19,500 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at CCBC.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for CCBC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 229 | $12,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 58 | $10,682 |
| Did not complete | 171 | $13,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $127.02/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at CCBC.
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 146 | $11,735 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 83 | $16,000 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for CCBC.
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 CCBC appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 653 |
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.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,006 |
| Middle income | $10,422 |
| High income | $8,355 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $8,696 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,016 |
| Independent students | $11,224 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at CCBC.
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.
Worth Knowing
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.