by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Cowley County Community College— 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.
At Cowley College, 26% of first-year students take on loan debt, at roughly $3,518 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
The typical federal loan comes to $3,518, amounting to 64.0% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Counting every undergraduate at Cowley College, 30% use federal student loans to help pay for their education, at an average of $4,352 per year. That amounts to 23.7% greater than the $3,518 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $8,704 over two years and about $17,408 across a four-year program. This projection keeps yearly federal borrowing flat and excludes private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 30% |
| Average federal loan per year | $4,352 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 465 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $2,023,706 |
The median student at Cowley College borrows $5,250 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $5,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $8,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $4,500 |
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 Cowley College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $2,750 |
| 75th percentile | $9,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $15,750 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Cowley College.
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 Cowley College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 165 | $10,168 |
| Completed (graduates) | 32 | $6,362 |
| Did not complete | 133 | $11,667 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $75.65/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at Cowley College.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 72 | $5,562 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 93 | $17,256 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Cowley College.
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 Cowley College is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 9.7% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1072 |
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 | $4,995 |
| Middle income | $5,250 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $5,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $4,500 |
| Independent students | $6,462 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Cowley College.
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
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.