by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Community College of Rhode Island, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Looking at the entering class at CCRI, 5% of incoming students take out a loan to help cover first-year costs, for an average of $2,639 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $2,639, which is 48.0% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
Across the full undergraduate body at CCRI (freshmen included), 12% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, with a mean of $5,407 in federal loans per year. This is 104.9% higher than the freshman federal average of $2,639.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $10,814 over two years and about $21,628 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,407 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 1,424 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $7,699,429 |
The median student at CCRI borrows $5,567 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,567 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $10,920 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for CCRI.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,121 |
| 25th percentile | $2,546 |
| 75th percentile | $10,512 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $17,250 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at CCRI.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at CCRI.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 939 | $12,080 |
| Completed (graduates) | 232 | $10,495 |
| Did not complete | 707 | $13,000 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $124.8/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at CCRI.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 917 | $12,149 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $7,210 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 332 | $10,331 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 607 | $13,600 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. CCRI.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for CCRI is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1323 |
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 | $6,000 |
| Middle income | $5,500 |
| High income | $5,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,250 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for CCRI.
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.
Did You Know?
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.