by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend Des Moines Area Community College— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at DMACC, 26% of first-year students take on loan debt, averaging $4,903 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,720, or about 85.8% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Across the full undergraduate body at DMACC (freshmen included), 26% borrow through federal student loan programs, at an average of $5,355 annually. It comes to 13.5% larger than the $4,720 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $10,710 over two years and about $21,420 over a four-year span. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 26% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,355 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,732 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $14,629,817 |
The middle borrower at DMACC owes $6,500 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,500 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $11,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $5,500 |
The figure for students who withdrew is worth watching: debt without a completed credential is the hardest to repay.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for DMACC.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $11,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $21,094 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at DMACC.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at DMACC.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1503 | $12,500 |
| Completed (graduates) | 304 | $12,050 |
| Did not complete | 1199 | $12,585 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $143.29/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at DMACC.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1479 | $12,557 |
| No Stafford loan | 24 | $10,295 |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 604 | $9,735 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 899 | $15,000 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at DMACC.
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 DMACC follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 22.6% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 5547 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,500 |
| Middle income | $6,361 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,441 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $8,875 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at DMACC.
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?
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.