by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend East Central College, 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 East Central College, 7% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $4,929 each, across private and federal loan sources.
The average federally funded loan is $4,705, representing 85.5% of the $5,500 first-year borrowing cap for the typical first-year dependent student. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Counting every undergraduate at East Central College, 12% finance part of their studies with federal loans, for a typical $5,780 per year. This works out to 22.8% larger than the $4,705 typical freshmen borrow.
Carrying that yearly figure forward comes to roughly $11,560 after two years and $23,120 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 12% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,780 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 202 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $1,167,653 |
The middle borrower at East Central College owes $6,590 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $6,590 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $9,500 |
| 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Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.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 East Central College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,069 |
| 75th percentile | $15,312 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,172 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at East Central College.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for East Central College.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 132 | $8,935 |
| Completed (graduates) | 41 | $5,835 |
| Did not complete | 91 | $10,043 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $69.38/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at East Central College.
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 32 | $5,937 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 100 | $10,804 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for East Central 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 East Central College follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 17.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 605 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,492 |
| Middle income | $6,381 |
| High income | $5,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $7,125 |
| Continuing-generation students | $5,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,250 |
| Independent students | $9,750 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for East Central College.
Subsidized vs. 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.
Important to Remember
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.